Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Pulaski County, Illinois

12 tornadoes have crossed Pulaski County since 1950, 98th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 6.3 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 46. 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
12
Deaths
2
Injuries
46
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 6, 2003

The deadliest in Pulaski County

  1. F4 New Grand Chain–Golconda tornado, IllinoisMay 6, 20032 killed, 33 injured

The strongest

  1. F4 New Grand Chain–Golconda tornado, IllinoisMay 6, 2003F4, 33.0 mi (53 km)
  2. EF2, Pulaski, Ballard and McCracken counties, Illinois and KentuckyFebruary 29, 2012EF2, 22.7 mi (37 km)
  3. EF2, Pulaski, Massac and Johnson counties, IllinoisMay 25, 2011EF2, 19.9 mi (32 km)
  4. F2, Alexander and Pulaski counties, IllinoisApril 21, 1972F2, 6.9 mi (11 km)
  5. F2, Alexander and Pulaski counties, IllinoisApril 3, 1957F2, 6.8 mi (11 km)
  6. F2, Pulaski County, IllinoisJune 21, 1967F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 10 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Pulaski County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20191EF0
20131EF1
201215EF2
20113EF2
20051F1
20031233F4
197213F2
19671F2
195715F2

Every tornado that crossed Pulaski County

12 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 30, 20256:05 PM CDTEF1Alexander23.9150$75,000
April 24, 20193:59 PM CDTEF0Pulaski0.230$1,000
October 31, 20137:35 PM CDTEF1Alexander6.550$20,000
February 29, 20125:00 AM CSTEF2Pulaski to KY22.71505$250,000
May 25, 20116:55 PM CDTEF2Pulaski19.9325$255,000
May 25, 20116:45 PM CDTEF1Pulaski10.0120$40,000
May 25, 20116:40 PM CDTEF1Pulaski5.5250$50,000
January 13, 20053:05 AM CSTF1Pulaski11.0100$70,000
May 6, 20039:32 PM CDTF4New Grand Chain–Golconda tornado33.01,000233$16 million
April 21, 19725:00 PM CSTF2Alexander6.9103$5,000 to $50,000
June 21, 19678:00 PM GMT-5F2Pulaski0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19572:00 PM GMT-6F2Alexander6.8105$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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