Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in McDonough County, Illinois

47 tornadoes have crossed McDonough County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 25th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 24. 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
47
Deaths
0
Injuries
24
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 21, 1964

The strongest

  1. F3, Adams, Pike, Schuyler and McDonough counties, IllinoisMay 14, 1961F3, 127.1 mi (205 km)
  2. F3, McDonough County, IllinoisApril 21, 1964F3, 14.1 mi (23 km)
  3. F3, McDonough County, IllinoisMay 21, 1957F3, 13.7 mi (22 km)
  4. F2, Adams, Hancock, McDonough and Warren counties, IllinoisMay 10, 2003F2, 69.2 mi (111 km)
  5. F2, Hancock and McDonough counties, IllinoisApril 13, 1974F2, 19.5 mi (31 km)
  6. EF2, McDonough and Fulton counties, IllinoisApril 17, 2026EF2, 12.8 mi (21 km)
  7. F2, McDonough and Warren counties, IllinoisApril 5, 1999F2, 9.4 mi (15 km)
  8. F2, McDonough County, IllinoisSeptember 27, 1959F2, 9.4 mi (15 km)
  9. EF2, McDonough County, IllinoisMarch 15, 2016EF2, 8.2 mi (13 km)
  10. F2, McDonough County, IllinoisMarch 12, 1982F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF2
20252EF1
20243Unrated
20231EF1
20223EF1
20192EF1
20182EF0
20162EF2
20151EF1
20101EF0
20081EF0
20061F1
200314F2
19991F2
19981F0
19973F1
19922F0
19911F0
198211F2
19811F0
19751F0
1974310F2
19733F1
19711F1
19641F3
196128F3
19601F1
195911F2
19571F3

Every tornado that crossed McDonough County

47 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
April 17, 20267:13 PM CDTEF1Hancock6.075
April 17, 20267:29 PM CDTEF2McDonough12.8200$90
June 11, 20264:54 PM CDTUnratedMcDonough0.10
April 20, 20257:47 PM CDTEF1McDonough3.0100$16,000
April 20, 20257:37 PM CDTEF1McDonough7.0150$6,000
June 13, 20247:00 PM CDTUnratedMcDonough0.110
June 13, 20246:56 PM CDTUnratedMcDonough0.110
May 19, 20246:35 PM CDTUnratedMcDonough0.620
April 4, 20236:52 PM CDTEF1McDonough8.3350
July 8, 20223:17 PM CDTUnratedMcDonough0.820
May 31, 202210:34 PM CDTEF1McDonough1.660
May 13, 20224:49 PM CDTUnratedMcDonough0.110
May 24, 201912:41 PM CDTEF1McDonough1.930
May 24, 201912:33 PM CDTEF1McDonough7.850
December 1, 20183:41 PM CSTEF0McDonough0.115
December 1, 20183:18 PM CSTEF0McDonough0.115
May 9, 20165:15 PM CDTEF0McDonough0.115
March 15, 20166:26 PM CDTEF2McDonough8.2400$200,000
December 23, 20154:15 PM CSTEF1McDonough10.750
June 21, 20107:30 PM CDTEF0McDonough0.625$5,000
December 27, 200811:20 AM CSTEF0McDonough0.350
April 2, 20065:20 PM CDTF1McDonough12.0233$150,000
May 10, 20036:36 PM CDTF2Adams69.23004$1.1 million
April 5, 19997:30 PM CDTF2McDonough9.4100$10,000
May 12, 19986:38 PM CDTF0McDonough0.130
July 19, 19975:35 PM CDTF0McDonough0.110
April 30, 19972:30 PM CDTF0McDonough1.010$20,000
April 30, 19972:19 PM CDTF1McDonough2.020$20,000
July 25, 19925:25 PM CDTF0McDonough3.0500$50,000 to $500,000
July 25, 19925:10 PM CDTF0McDonough7.01,000
May 17, 19918:07 PM CDTF0McDonough1.050
March 12, 19827:12 PM CSTF2McDonough0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
June 8, 19815:43 PM CDTF0McDonough0.110
June 24, 19758:08 PM CDTF0McDonough0.517$500 to $5,000
June 21, 19748:05 PM CDTF1McDonough0.110
June 20, 19749:30 PM CDTF0McDonough0.110
April 13, 19748:00 PM CDTF2Hancock19.550010$500,000 to $5 million
August 8, 19737:00 PM CDTF1McDonough0.110
June 2, 19737:45 PM CDTF1McDonough3.010$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19732:50 PM CDTF1McDonough0.110
July 18, 19719:20 PM CDTF1McDonough0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19643:30 AM GMT-6F3McDonough14.117$5,000 to $50,000
July 21, 19613:15 PM GMT-5F1Adams147.410$50,000 to $500,000
May 14, 19616:00 PM GMT-5F3Adams127.11008$500,000 to $5 million
May 16, 19605:45 PM GMT-5F1McDonough0.110$5,000 to $50,000
September 27, 19599:30 PM GMT-5F2McDonough9.42001$50,000 to $500,000
May 21, 19578:40 PM GMT-5F3McDonough13.7120$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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