Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Warren County, Illinois

38 tornadoes have crossed Warren County since 1950, 37th of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 12. 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
38
Deaths
1
Injuries
12
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 13, 1995

The deadliest in Warren County

  1. F2, Warren County, IllinoisSeptember 26, 19591 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Hancock, Henderson and Warren counties, IllinoisMay 13, 1995F4, 50.0 mi (80 km)
  2. F2, Adams, Hancock, McDonough and Warren counties, IllinoisMay 10, 2003F2, 69.2 mi (111 km)
  3. F2, McDonough and Warren counties, IllinoisApril 5, 1999F2, 9.4 mi (15 km)
  4. EF2, Warren County, IllinoisJuly 16, 2015EF2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  5. F2, Warren County, IllinoisSeptember 26, 1959F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  6. EF2, Warren County, IllinoisJuly 16, 2015EF2, 1.7 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, Warren County, IllinoisApril 18, 1963F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Warren County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF1
20241EF1
20222Unrated
20211Unrated
20162EF1
201541EF2
20091EF0
200314F2
20011F0
19993F2
19987F1
19972F0
19961F0
199537F4
19821F0
19751F0
19721F1
19681F1
19631F2
19611F1
195911F2

Every tornado that crossed Warren County

38 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 3, 20256:46 PM CDTEF1Warren7.850
April 20, 20257:57 PM CDTEF0Warren4.025
March 14, 20244:36 AM CDTEF1Warren1.1150
May 13, 20225:20 PM CDTUnratedWarren0.110
May 13, 20225:08 PM CDTUnratedWarren0.110
August 25, 20214:48 PM CDTUnratedWarren0.130
May 9, 20165:41 PM CDTEF0Warren0.125
March 15, 20166:42 PM CDTEF1Warren8.3400$215,000
December 23, 20154:15 PM CSTEF1McDonough10.750
July 16, 20157:13 PM CDTEF2Warren6.07001$1.5 million
July 16, 20157:09 PM CDTEF2Warren1.7300$150,000
July 16, 20156:49 PM CDTEF1Warren1.450$2,000
May 8, 20098:14 PM CDTEF0Warren0.525
May 10, 20036:36 PM CDTF2Adams69.23004$1.1 million
July 17, 20013:15 PM CDTF0Warren0.110
April 22, 19999:50 PM CDTF0Warren0.110
April 8, 19997:35 PM CDTF0Henderson20.010
April 5, 19997:30 PM CDTF2McDonough9.4100$10,000
June 29, 19984:08 PM CDTF0Warren1.030$2,000
June 18, 19985:30 PM CDTF0Warren0.130
April 7, 19986:13 PM CDTF0Warren0.130
April 7, 19986:02 PM CDTF1Warren0.130$3,000
April 7, 19985:52 PM CDTF1Warren0.530$10,000
April 7, 19985:42 PM CDTF0Warren0.130
April 7, 19985:31 PM CDTF0Warren0.130
May 18, 19978:30 PM CDTF0Warren0.110
April 30, 19972:25 PM CDTF0Warren17.010
May 9, 19969:00 PM CDTF0Warren0.225
July 27, 19958:42 PM CDTF0Warren0.110
May 27, 19956:25 PM CDTF0Warren0.150$500 to $5,000
May 13, 19954:18 PM CDTF4Hancock50.01,0007$5 million to $50 million
May 18, 19826:30 PM CDTF0Warren0.110
June 13, 19758:30 PM CDTF0Warren0.110$500 to $5,000
July 17, 19727:30 PM CDTF1Warren27.210$5,000 to $50,000
July 17, 19687:30 PM GMT-5F1Warren3.8127$50 to $500
April 18, 19635:30 PM GMT-6F2Warren0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 21, 19613:15 PM GMT-5F1Adams147.410$50,000 to $500,000
September 26, 19594:17 PM GMT-5F2Warren4.93001$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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