Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Mason County, Illinois

44 tornadoes have crossed Mason County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 30th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 60. 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
44
Deaths
1
Injuries
60
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, January 24, 1967

The deadliest in Mason County

  1. F3, Mason County, IllinoisJanuary 24, 19671 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Mason and Tazewell counties, IllinoisMay 13, 1995F3, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  2. F3, Mason and Logan counties, IllinoisMay 15, 1968F3, 12.6 mi (20 km)
  3. F3, Mason County, IllinoisJanuary 24, 1967F3, 5.1 mi (8 km)
  4. F2, Mason, Tazewell and McLean counties, IllinoisNovember 13, 1951F2, 47.4 mi (76 km)
  5. F2, Mason County, IllinoisNovember 29, 1975F2, 18.6 mi (30 km)
  6. F2, Mason and Fulton counties, IllinoisApril 7, 1998F2, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  7. F2, Mason County, IllinoisApril 19, 1996F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  8. F2, Mason County, IllinoisApril 7, 1998F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  9. F2, Mason County, IllinoisMay 10, 2003F2, 2.5 mi (4 km)
  10. F2, Mason County, IllinoisMarch 14, 1957F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20252EF0
20222EF0
20211EF0
20182EF1
20171EF1
20151EF0
201111EF1
20091EF0
200341F2
20011F0
19991F1
19984F2
199621F2
1995125F3
19901F1
19871F0
19851F0
19811F1
19751F2
19742F0
197312F0
19721F1
1968125F3
1967214F3
19641F1
19611F0
195721F2
19511F2

Every tornado that crossed Mason County

44 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
March 10, 202611:52 PM CDTEF1Mason5.6200
March 10, 202612:06 AM CDTEF1Mason10.250
April 17, 20268:11 PM CDTEF1Mason15.4200
September 20, 20253:09 PM CDTEF0Mason2.440
June 18, 20251:18 PM CDTEF0Mason0.1100
August 1, 20224:46 AM CDTEF0Mason0.460
March 5, 202210:11 PM CSTEF0Mason6.950
March 23, 202110:28 PM CDTEF0Mason2.130$25,000
December 1, 20184:53 PM CSTEF1Mason11.7250$65,000
December 1, 20183:44 PM CSTEF0Mason1.725
March 6, 201711:52 PM CSTEF1Mason6.8150$150,000
September 10, 20154:45 PM CDTEF0Mason0.275$20,000
April 15, 20115:30 PM CDTEF1Mason3.11001$300,000
July 8, 20095:03 PM CDTEF0Mason0.110
May 30, 20037:56 PM CDTF1Mason14.0100
May 10, 20039:38 PM CDTF1Mason2.0100
May 10, 20039:33 PM CDTF2Mason2.51001
May 10, 20039:12 PM CDTF1Mason8.0150
August 18, 200112:36 PM CDTF0Mason0.125
June 1, 19996:15 PM CDTF1Mason3.80$500,000
April 7, 19986:04 PM CDTF2Mason11.030
April 7, 19985:55 PM CDTF0Mason0.130
April 7, 19984:35 PM CDTF1Mason0.3180
April 7, 19984:20 PM CDTF2Mason3.070
April 19, 19966:17 PM CDTF1Mason9.0250
April 19, 19966:07 PM CDTF2Mason9.02501
May 13, 19956:15 PM CDTF3Mason25.088025$500,000 to $5 million
November 27, 19902:00 PM CSTF1Mason0.550$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19872:00 PM CDTF0Mason0.110
November 18, 19853:58 PM CSTF0Mason0.110
April 13, 19814:35 PM CSTF1Fulton46.1100$500,000 to $5 million
November 29, 197510:20 PM CSTF2Mason18.610$50,000 to $500,000
June 19, 19747:30 PM CDTF0Mason0.110
June 19, 19747:30 PM CDTF0Mason0.110
December 4, 19739:50 AM CSTF0Mason0.1102
July 12, 197210:40 PM CDTF1Mason0.5130$500 to $5,000
May 15, 19683:30 PM GMT-5F3Mason12.660025$500,000 to $5 million
January 24, 19675:30 PM GMT-6F1Mason4.5301
January 24, 19675:30 PM GMT-6F3Mason5.18013$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19646:23 PM GMT-6F1Mason0.210$50 to $500
August 19, 19616:00 PM GMT-5F0Mason0.110$500 to $5,000
December 18, 19573:35 PM GMT-6F1Mason0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
March 14, 19572:55 PM GMT-6F2Mason0.1100$5,000 to $50,000
November 13, 19511:15 PM GMT-6F2Mason47.450$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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