Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Ogle County, Illinois

33 tornadoes have crossed Ogle County since 1950, 47th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.3 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 62. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and 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
33
Deaths
4
Injuries
62
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, April 9, 2015

The deadliest in Ogle County

  1. EF4, Lee, Ogle, DeKalb and Boone counties, IllinoisApril 9, 20152 killed, 11 injured
  2. EF1, Ogle, Winnebago and Boone counties, IllinoisMarch 31, 20231 killed, 40 injured
  3. F2, Ogle and Lee counties, IllinoisApril 6, 19721 killed, 9 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4, Lee, Ogle, DeKalb and Boone counties, IllinoisApril 9, 2015EF4, 30.1 mi (48 km)
  2. F3, Ogle County, IllinoisAugust 5, 1979F3, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  3. F2, Ogle and Lee counties, IllinoisApril 6, 1972F2, 17.5 mi (28 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Ogle County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20244EF0
20232140EF1
20221Unrated
20211EF0
20202EF1
20171EF1
20152211EF4
20113EF1
20001F0
19991F0
19951F1
19932F1
19921F0
19881F1
19791F3
197442F1
1972119F2
19671F1
19631F0
19592F1

Every tornado that crossed Ogle County

33 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 15, 20248:05 PM CDTEF0Ogle2.2150
July 15, 20247:58 PM CDTEF0Ogle1.7150
July 15, 20247:44 PM CDTEF0Ogle5.3200
July 14, 20248:58 PM CDTEF0DeKalb3.4100
March 31, 20237:24 PM CDTEF1Ogle27.5600140
March 31, 20236:50 PM CDTEF1Carroll11.0200
May 26, 20222:20 PM CDTUnratedOgle0.120
August 9, 20215:28 PM CDTEF0DeKalb6.850
May 23, 20204:30 PM CDTEF1Ogle0.3100
March 28, 20209:13 PM CDTEF1Ogle7.0400
February 28, 20175:07 PM CSTEF1Ogle1.550
April 9, 20157:05 PM CDTEF0Ogle1.9100
April 9, 20156:39 PM CDTEF4Lee30.1700211$19 million
May 22, 20116:40 PM CDTEF1Ogle0.5100$50,000
May 22, 20116:28 PM CDTEF1Ogle1.7200$50,000
May 22, 20116:25 PM CDTEF1Ogle29.1200$150,000
July 31, 20003:40 PM CDTF0Ogle0.550
May 12, 19993:45 PM CDTF0Ogle1.020
April 18, 199510:45 AM CDTF1Ogle0.530
July 8, 19931:10 PM CDTF1Ogle0.123
May 23, 19936:40 PM CDTF1Ogle0.220$5,000 to $50,000
April 10, 19928:28 PM CDTF0Ogle0.150
May 8, 19884:30 PM CDTF1Ogle0.250$5,000 to $50,000
August 5, 19795:45 PM CDTF3Ogle5.767$500,000 to $5 million
August 10, 19743:29 PM CDTF0Ogle0.110
June 20, 19746:45 PM CDTF0Ogle0.110
April 21, 19744:55 PM CDTF1Ogle0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19744:15 PM CDTF1Ogle0.1102$50,000 to $500,000
April 6, 19726:45 PM CSTF2Ogle17.55019$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19674:00 PM GMT-6F1Ogle1.013$5,000 to $50,000
September 2, 19639:00 PM GMT-5F0Ogle10.810$5,000 to $50,000
August 15, 19593:30 PM GMT-5F1Ogle0.1200$5,000 to $50,000
July 10, 19598:30 PM GMT-5F1Ogle0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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