Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Saline County, Illinois

19 tornadoes have crossed Saline County since 1950, 79th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 4.0 years. They have killed 8 people and injured 117. 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
19
Deaths
8
Injuries
117
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, February 29, 2012

The deadliest in Saline County

  1. EF4, Saline and Gallatin counties, IllinoisFebruary 29, 20128 killed, 108 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4, Saline and Gallatin counties, IllinoisFebruary 29, 2012EF4, 26.1 mi (42 km)
  2. EF2, Saline and Williamson counties, IllinoisApril 3, 2018EF2, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  3. EF2, Saline and Gallatin counties, IllinoisMay 16, 2025EF2, 9.9 mi (16 km)
  4. F2, Saline County, IllinoisApril 28, 2002F2, 7.5 mi (12 km)
  5. F2, Saline County, IllinoisMarch 6, 1961F2, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  6. F2, Saline County, IllinoisJanuary 10, 1975F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  7. EF2, Saline County, IllinoisApril 2, 2024EF2, 1.1 mi (2 km)
  8. EF2, Saline County, IllinoisJanuary 29, 2013EF2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Saline County, IllinoisDecember 19, 1957F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 13 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Saline County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF2
202432EF2
20181EF2
201322EF2
201218108EF4
20051F0
200213F2
19901F1
19822F0
19751F2
19741F0
196112F2
19571F2

Every tornado that crossed Saline County

19 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 16, 20256:56 PM CDTEF2Saline9.9250$37,000
May 16, 20256:48 PM CDTEF1Saline6.875$10,000
April 2, 20258:14 PM CDTEF1Saline5.0300$85,000
May 8, 20244:11 PM CDTEF1Saline7.7150$80,000
April 2, 20245:15 AM CDTEF2Saline1.11002$225,000
April 2, 20244:56 AM CDTEF1Williamson7.6250$205,000
April 3, 20185:47 PM CDTEF2Saline12.3350$507,000
October 31, 20137:51 PM CDTEF1Williamson9.9175$110,000
January 29, 201310:16 PM CSTEF2Saline1.01252$200,000
February 29, 20124:51 AM CSTEF4Saline26.13258108$3.0 million
November 15, 20053:32 PM CSTF0Saline0.250
April 28, 20021:07 AM CDTF2Saline7.52003$3.5 million
October 3, 19909:30 PM CDTF1Saline3.050$50,000 to $500,000
May 29, 19824:46 PM CDTF0Saline0.110$50 to $500
May 29, 19824:26 PM CDTF0Saline0.110under $50
January 10, 197511:15 AM CSTF2Saline2.0587$50,000 to $500,000
March 9, 19746:45 PM CDTF0Saline0.110
March 6, 19613:40 AM GMT-6F2Saline4.71002$50,000 to $500,000
December 19, 19579:00 PM GMT-6F2Saline0.5100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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