Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Macoupin County, Illinois

51 tornadoes have crossed Macoupin County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 21st of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 10. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
51
Deaths
1
Injuries
10
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 19, 2011

The deadliest in Macoupin County

  1. F2, Madison and Macoupin counties, IllinoisDecember 2, 19501 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Macoupin County, IllinoisApril 19, 2011EF3, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  2. F2, Madison, Macoupin, Montgomery and Fayette counties, IllinoisOctober 10, 1959F2, 48.7 mi (78 km)
  3. F2, Macoupin and Montgomery counties, IllinoisMay 12, 1978F2, 34.1 mi (55 km)
  4. F2, Macoupin and Montgomery counties, IllinoisAugust 4, 1959F2, 26.7 mi (43 km)
  5. F2, Madison and Macoupin counties, IllinoisDecember 2, 1950F2, 18.8 mi (30 km)
  6. F2, Macoupin County, IllinoisJanuary 24, 1967F2, 2.5 mi (4 km)
  7. EF2, Macoupin County, IllinoisMay 31, 2013EF2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  8. EF2, Macoupin County, IllinoisMay 20, 2013EF2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  9. F2, Macoupin County, IllinoisMay 9, 1990F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Macoupin County, IllinoisMarch 29, 1960F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Macoupin County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20245EF1
20231EF0
20211Unrated
20201Unrated
20191EF0
20181EF1
20172EF1
201333EF2
201112EF3
20092EF1
20072EF0
20065F0
20054F1
20031F0
20021F0
20003F1
19991F1
19981F1
19961F1
19931F0
19902F2
197811F2
19671F2
19661F0
196111F1
19602F2
19592F2
1950113F2

Every tornado that crossed Macoupin County

51 tornadoes, newest first. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 11, 20264:08 AM CDTEF1Madison1.610
March 15, 20265:29 PM CDTEF1Macoupin6.3300
April 18, 20245:52 PM CDTEF1Macoupin0.275$50,000
April 18, 20244:51 PM CDTUnratedGreene4.310
March 14, 20247:58 AM CDTEF0Macoupin2.1100
March 14, 20247:46 AM CDTEF0Jersey2.8200
March 14, 20247:44 AM CDTEF0Jersey3.975
March 31, 20236:47 PM CDTEF0Macoupin6.3150$25,000
June 24, 20218:18 PM CDTUnratedMacoupin0.210
July 15, 20204:47 PM CDTUnratedMacoupin0.115
June 15, 20192:43 PM CDTEF0Macoupin1.830
December 1, 20183:59 PM CSTEF1Macoupin1.450
April 29, 20174:02 PM CDTEF1Jersey2.450
March 7, 201712:50 AM CSTEF1Macoupin12.9100
November 17, 201311:30 AM CSTEF0Macoupin4.050
May 31, 20138:49 PM CDTEF2Macoupin1.5150
May 20, 201310:14 PM CDTEF2Macoupin0.2753
April 19, 20115:58 PM CDTEF3Macoupin4.32002
May 13, 200911:38 PM CDTEF0Macoupin1.640
March 8, 200911:30 AM CDTEF1Macoupin4.275
May 4, 20076:05 PM CDTEF0Macoupin0.040
May 4, 20075:04 PM CDTEF0Macoupin0.040
July 19, 20066:50 PM CDTF0Macoupin0.220
April 2, 20065:35 PM CDTF0Macoupin0.120
April 2, 20065:21 PM CDTF0Madison16.050
April 2, 20065:15 PM CDTF0Macoupin2.030
April 2, 20065:15 PM CDTF0Macoupin0.530
June 13, 20056:10 PM CDTF1Macoupin2.560
June 13, 20056:05 PM CDTF0Macoupin1.050
June 13, 20056:05 PM CDTF1Macoupin3.070
June 13, 20056:00 PM CDTF0Macoupin1.540
May 8, 20033:00 PM CDTF0Macoupin0.250
May 1, 20023:00 PM CDTF0Macoupin0.575
July 18, 20008:10 PM CDTF0Macoupin0.140
July 18, 20006:50 PM CDTF0Macoupin0.140
April 20, 20007:59 AM CDTF1Macoupin1.030$30,000
June 1, 19997:55 PM CDTF1Macoupin0.550
May 12, 19988:16 PM CDTF1Macoupin1.0200$50,000
May 25, 19967:25 PM CDTF1Macoupin8.0100$250,000
August 19, 19936:15 PM CDTF0Macoupin0.133
May 16, 19902:56 AM CDTF0Macoupin0.150
May 9, 19908:30 PM CDTF2Macoupin0.250$50,000 to $500,000
May 12, 19784:50 PM CDTF2Macoupin34.17001$50,000 to $500,000
January 24, 19676:50 PM GMT-6F2Macoupin2.5100$50,000 to $500,000
August 9, 196610:50 PM GMT-5F0Macoupin0.3100$50 to $500
March 6, 19611:30 AM GMT-6F1Jersey117.9771$50,000 to $500,000
May 6, 19602:05 PM GMT-5F1Greene43.550$50,000 to $500,000
March 29, 19609:35 PM GMT-6F2Macoupin0.110$500 to $5,000
October 10, 19596:15 PM GMT-5F2Madison48.733$50,000 to $500,000
August 4, 19597:15 AM GMT-5F2Macoupin26.710$5,000 to $50,000
December 2, 19503:00 PM GMT-6F2Madison18.85013$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Macoupin CountyThe forecast for Macoupin CountyThe live radar over Macoupin CountyEvery county in Illinois

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.