Tornadoes · United States · Illinois

Tornadoes in Williamson County, Illinois

23 tornadoes have crossed Williamson County since 1950, 71st of the 102 counties in Illinois with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.3 years. They have killed 21 people and injured 407. 3 were 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
23
Deaths
21
Injuries
407
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, December 18, 1957

The deadliest in Williamson County

  1. F4, Jackson, Williamson and Franklin counties, IllinoisDecember 18, 195711 killed, 200 injured
  2. F4, Williamson County, IllinoisMay 29, 198210 killed, 181 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Jackson, Williamson and Franklin counties, IllinoisDecember 18, 1957F4, 28.3 mi (46 km)
  2. F4, Williamson County, IllinoisMay 29, 1982F4, 17.0 mi (27 km)
  3. EF4 Marion tornado, IllinoisMay 16, 2025EF4, 16.3 mi (26 km)
  4. F3, Williamson County, IllinoisNovember 19, 1991F3, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  5. EF2, Williamson County, IllinoisFebruary 29, 2012EF2, 14.9 mi (24 km)
  6. EF2, Saline and Williamson counties, IllinoisApril 3, 2018EF2, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  7. F2, Johnson, Williamson and Union counties, IllinoisOctober 18, 2004F2, 8.8 mi (14 km)
  8. EF2, Williamson County, IllinoisApril 2, 2024EF2, 6.7 mi (11 km)
  9. F2, Williamson County, IllinoisJune 2, 1973F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Williamson County. Each year links to every tornado in Illinois that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202527EF4
20244EF2
20184EF2
20172EF1
20141EF1
20131EF1
20121EF2
20091EF1
200413F2
19981F1
1991116F3
1982110181F4
19731F2
19681F1
1957111200F4

Every tornado that crossed Williamson County

23 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 16, 20256:15 PM CDTEF4Marion tornado16.39007$25 million
April 2, 20257:51 PM CDTEF1Williamson3.375$175,000
May 8, 20244:04 PM CDTEF0Williamson6.625$10,000
May 8, 20243:10 PM CDTEF1Jackson4.675$12,000
April 2, 20244:56 AM CDTEF1Williamson7.6250$205,000
April 2, 20244:46 AM CDTEF2Williamson6.7250$300,000
June 28, 20187:12 PM CDTEF0Williamson0.375$35,000
April 3, 20185:47 PM CDTEF2Saline12.3350$507,000
April 3, 20185:39 PM CDTEF1Williamson1.9150$40,000
April 3, 20185:17 PM CDTEF1Williamson10.0125$250,000
April 5, 20172:10 PM CDTEF1Williamson0.125$35,000
February 28, 201710:44 PM CSTEF1Williamson7.425$6,000
April 3, 20149:25 PM CDTEF1Williamson0.850$10,000
October 31, 20137:51 PM CDTEF1Williamson9.9175$110,000
February 29, 20124:26 AM CSTEF2Williamson14.9300$100,000
May 8, 20091:45 PM CDTEF1Franklin5.5150
October 18, 20047:16 PM CDTF2Johnson8.82503$540,000
June 12, 19988:15 PM CDTF1Williamson2.0100$100,000
November 19, 19914:55 PM CSTF3Williamson1.57016$5 million to $50 million
May 29, 19823:05 PM CDTF4Williamson17.040010181$50 million to $500 million
June 2, 19736:20 PM CDTF2Williamson0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19688:30 PM GMT-6F1Williamson0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
December 18, 19574:45 PM GMT-6F4Jackson28.330011200$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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