Kinwarn
Menu

Warnings by state

Illinois tornado warnings

The National Weather Service issued 1,181 tornado warnings, 6,119 severe thunderstorm warnings and 1,146 flash flood warnings for Illinois from 2016 to 2025, about 118, 612 and 115 a year. That ranks 9th of 52 states and territories for tornado warnings. Henry County had the most of any county: 50 tornado warnings.

Illinois warnings and radar right now

Checking the National Weather Service for Illinois…

Illinois counties ranked by tornado warnings

Warnings that listed each county, 2016 to 2025, and tornadoes recorded in the county since 1950. A warning can list several counties, so the county numbers add up to more than the state total.

CountyTornado warningsSevere thunderstormFlash floodTornadoes since 1950
Henry County502191673
Sangamon County422074396
McLean County4219031123
Whiteside County401991546
Tazewell County392024276
Bureau County391712350
Pope County391563115
Madison County382204568
Fulton County372042952
Christian County371622762
Rock Island County362382940
Macon County361542382
Cook County342696289
Saint Clair County332234663
Massac County331522819
Logan County321552774
Mason County311702543
Jackson County301873940
Alexander County281843118
Mercer County281701147
Macoupin County281491851
Randolph County281401946
Peoria County271882939
Kane County271572247
Montgomery County271392956
Fayette County271213928
Shelby County261752739
Pike County261701835
Will County2521344100
Williamson County251623623
Warren County251591639
Carroll County251502122
Johnson County251362720
McDonough County251362646
Woodford County251363556
Iroquois County251311865
Hancock County241782833
Pulaski County241632412
DeKalb County241522031
Clinton County241432931
Livingston County241281760
Bond County241252824
Gallatin County241032314
Monroe County231783142
Champaign County231763389
Morgan County231432344
DuPage County221643548
White County221613727
Henderson County221502015
DeWitt County221161826
Marion County221052441
Hardin County2277185
Jasper County211613225
Adams County211502637
Richland County211362319
Wabash County211123219
Union County201743325
Franklin County201414020
Piatt County201392139
LaSalle County191631870
Knox County191451936
Cass County191181320
Effingham County191173231
Saline County191143019
Calhoun County181812210
Jo Daviess County181673422
Wayne County181413630
Jersey County181391522
Washington County181161935
Lee County171421342
Clay County171253222
Coles County161541840
Menard County161212119
Ogle County151531635
McHenry County151322031
Cumberland County151281720
Jefferson County151252433
Lawrence County151102313
Marshall County151012120
Edwards County15993211
Kankakee County141121969
Douglas County141111132
Perry County141083724
Vermilion County131532774
Winnebago County131182727
Schuyler County131161624
Ford County131011245
Boone County131002325
Stephenson County121292023
Crawford County121263128
Hamilton County121213413
Putnam County12811312
Edgar County111492134
Clark County111372213
Moultrie County111231918
Kendall County101221632
Greene County101191622
Brown County983812
Lake County81032024
Grundy County7942126
Scott County774918
Stark County51111319

Illinois warnings by year

Each warning counts once for the state, however many counties it covered. 2008 is the first full year the National Weather Service drew an outline around every warning.

Tornadoes since 1950

3,284 tornadoes have been recorded in Illinois since 1950, 34 of them rated 4 or 5 on the F or EF scale. They killed 236 people and injured 4,649. June had the most (686).

Warnings for Illinois by year
YearTornadoSevere thunderstormFlash flood
2026 to Oct 193331,032218
2025227704134
2024186872110
202314193485
202251545119
202114642399
202080483140
2019109633148
201868476106
20178359390
201690456115
201595501206
201472453104
2013126403147
20128364642
2011214830205
2010133660153
2009108505151
2008194934169

What stands out in Illinois

2025 was the busiest year for tornado warnings in Illinois since 2008, with 227 tornado warnings. The busiest year for flash flood warnings was 2015, with 206.

Since 2008, 7 tornado warnings and 10 flash flood warnings for Illinois were raised to a tornado emergency or a flash flood emergency for at least part of the warned area: the Weather Service’s rarest warning, used when a severe threat to life is happening or about to happen.

77 severe thunderstorm warnings for Illinois carried the “destructive” tag (winds of 80 mph or more, or hail 2.75 inches or larger) since the tag started in August 2021. Only those severe thunderstorm warnings set off Wireless Emergency Alerts on phones.

2 tornadoes in Illinois since 1950 were rated F5 or EF5, the strongest recorded there. The most recent was on August 28, 1990.

National Weather Service warnings from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive through October 19, 2026; tornado ratings from the Storm Prediction Center and NOAA Storm Events.

States next to Illinois

Tornado warnings for each neighboring state, 2016 to 2025.

Get alerts for a home anywhere in Illinois.

Kinwarn for iPhone watches the exact addresses of the people you love and alerts you when a National Weather Service warning covers them. Alerts for 2 places are free. With Kinwarn Pro, Kinwarn also calls family for the most dangerous warnings.

Coming soon to the App Store · iPhone

Kinwarn adds to official alerts. Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts on.

Illinois tornado warnings: questions people ask

How many tornado warnings does Illinois get a year?

About 118 a year: the National Weather Service issued 1,181 tornado warnings for Illinois from 2016 to 2025, 9th of 52 states and territories.

Which Illinois county gets the most tornado warnings?

Henry County has the most: 50 tornado warnings listed it from 2016 to 2025, ahead of Sangamon County with 42. A warning can list several counties, so county counts add up to more than the state total.

Which Illinois city gets the most tornado warnings?

East Moline has the most among cities and towns with 10,000 people or more: the outlines of 15 tornado warnings covered its center from 2016 to 2025.

When is tornado season in Illinois?

June and May: 41% of the 3,284 tornadoes recorded in Illinois since 1950 came in those two months. Tornadoes have struck Illinois in every month of the year.

About these numbers

Counts are National Weather Service warnings that listed an Illinois county, through October 19, 2026. How Kinwarn counts · Illinois data (CSV)

Cite: Kinwarn. “Illinois tornado warnings.” kinwarn.com/illinois. National Weather Service data through October 19, 2026.

Sources: IEM warning archive · NWS 2007 outlines · SPC tornado database · Census places · Census population estimates · NWS tornado alerts