Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Marion County, Illinois

41 tornadoes have crossed Marion County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 38th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 13. 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
41
Deaths
2
Injuries
13
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF2, May 26, 2024

The deadliest in Marion County

  1. F1, Marion County, IllinoisMay 9, 20022 killed

The strongest

  1. F2, Washington, Jefferson and Marion counties, IllinoisMarch 14, 1953F2, 42.3 mi (68 km)
  2. F2, Saint Clair, Washington and Marion counties, IllinoisMarch 20, 1976F2, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  3. F2, Marion County, IllinoisApril 19, 1996F2, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  4. EF2, Marion and Clay counties, IllinoisMay 26, 2024EF2, 8.3 mi (13 km)
  5. F2, Jefferson and Marion counties, IllinoisApril 15, 1998F2, 5.5 mi (9 km)
  6. F2, Marion County, IllinoisApril 15, 1998F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Marion County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20245EF2
20231EF1
20221Unrated
20191EF0
20151EF1
20141EF1
20121EF0
20111EF1
20083EF0
20051F1
200242F1
199914F1
199831F2
199657F2
19761F2
19751F1
19741F1
197311F1
19601F1
19592F1
19561F1
19531F2

Every tornado that crossed Marion County

41 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 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
June 21, 20263:49 PM CDTEF0Fayette1.20
June 21, 20264:22 PM CDTUnratedMarion1.30
June 21, 20264:31 PM CDTEF1Marion2.1190
July 29, 20248:45 PM CDTUnratedMarion0.110
May 26, 20247:29 PM CDTEF2Marion8.3500$10 million
May 26, 20247:28 PM CDTEF1Marion1.1325
May 26, 20246:50 PM CDTEF1Clinton18.5325$123,000
April 7, 20245:21 PM CDTEF1Marion1.325$30,000
March 31, 20238:11 PM CDTEF1Marion6.0250$2.0 million
May 15, 20223:54 PM CDTUnratedMarion0.130
June 19, 20197:22 PM CDTEF0Marion0.125
June 19, 201512:30 PM CDTEF1Marion1.750
October 13, 20144:06 PM CDTEF1Jefferson3.5100$10,000
March 23, 20121:57 PM CDTEF0Marion0.010
April 19, 20119:02 PM CDTEF1Marion0.475
June 3, 20087:54 AM CDTEF0Marion0.150
February 5, 20086:12 PM CSTEF0Marion0.140
February 5, 20086:12 PM CSTEF0Marion0.230
November 15, 20052:35 PM CSTF1Marion5.0100
May 9, 20022:11 AM CDTF1Marion0.51002
May 1, 20022:15 PM CDTF1Marion2.540
May 1, 20022:11 PM CDTF1Marion6.540
May 1, 20022:10 PM CDTF1Marion7.040
May 5, 19996:05 PM CDTF1Marion0.204
April 15, 19988:05 PM CDTF1Marion9.0250
April 15, 19987:52 PM CDTF2Marion4.0300
April 15, 19987:43 PM CDTF2Jefferson5.52501$450,000
June 10, 19963:00 PM CDTF0Marion0.125
May 25, 19968:50 PM CDTF0Marion1.050$10,000
April 19, 19968:20 PM CDTF1Marion11.580$150,000
April 19, 19968:05 PM CDTF1Marion3.050$70,000
April 19, 19967:35 PM CDTF2Marion20.01507$7.0 million
March 20, 197612:25 PM CSTF2Saint Clair39.0250$50,000 to $500,000
April 18, 19757:21 PM CDTF1Marion2.050$50,000 to $500,000
March 29, 19744:40 PM CDTF1Marion0.110under $50
May 7, 19737:40 PM CDTF1Marion0.1101
June 28, 196012:00 AM GMT-5F1Marion0.110$500 to $5,000
July 30, 19596:40 PM GMT-5F1Marion0.110$500 to $5,000
February 10, 19592:30 AM GMT-6F1Washington29.810$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 19561:00 AM GMT-6F1Washington21.910$5,000 to $50,000
March 14, 19538:15 PM GMT-6F2Washington42.3200$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Marion CountyThe forecast for Marion CountyThe live radar over Marion 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.