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Listed below are confirmed killer tornadoes listed by date in Southern Illinois, United States. Modern record keeping in the region began in the 1880s, although there were undoubtedly many other deaths that have been lost to history. It is important to note that before the 1950s tornadoes were not officially ranked. The current rankings are an estimation due to the accounts of witnesses.
FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 17 |
March 19, 1883 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F4 | Alton to Bunker Hill | Monroe | Unknown | Unknown | 33 deaths |
November 6, 1885 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F3 | SE of Sacramento to N of Carmi | White | 1645 | 16 miles (26 km) | 1 death |
April 22, 1887 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F4 | Mt. Carmel to near the White River, Indiana | Wabash Illinois – Gibson, Pike | 1800 | 30 miles (48 km) | 5 deaths |
June 3, 1887 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F1 | Old Shawneetown | Gallitan | Unknown | Unknown | 3 deaths |
February 19, 1888 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F4 | Mt. Vernon | Jefferson | 1630 | 20 miles (32 km) | 24 deaths The southern half of Mt. Vernon was destroyed. 300 homes and 50 businesses were destroyed or damaged |
March 27, 1890 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F4 | NW of Shawneetown to N of Carbondale | Cape Girardeau, Perry Missouri – Jackson Illinois | 1620 | 30 miles (48 km) | 7 deaths |
F4 | NW of Thebes to Stonefort | Scott Missouri – Alexander, Union, Johnson, Williamson Illinois | 1645 | 55 miles (89 km) | 2 deaths |
F3 | W of Sparta to ENE of Nashville | Randolph, Washington | 1715 | 40 miles (64 km) | 2 deaths |
F4 | Metropolis to West Louisville | Massac Illinois – McCracken, Pope, Livingston, Crittenden, Webster, McClean, Daviess Kentucky | 1715 | 95 miles (153 km) | 21 deathsLikely a family of tornadoes |
F2 | W of Carmi to Crossville | White | 1800 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | 1 deaths |
May 27, 1896 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F4 | St. Louis, Missouri to East St. Louis, Illinois | St. Louis City, Missouri – St.Clair, Illinois | Unknown | Unknown | 118 deaths in Southern Illinois 282+ deaths overall – See section on this tornado |
March 18, 1925 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F5 | NNW of Ellington, Missouri to 10 mi (16 km) NE of Princeton, Indiana | Reynolds, Iron, Madison, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry, Missouri – Jackson, Williamson, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Illinois – Posey, Gibson, Pike, Indiana | 1301 | 234 miles (377 km) | 613 deaths in Southern Illinois 695 deaths overall Deadliest single tornado in US history.Most extreme tornado in recorded history. Holds the record longest path length (219 miles, 352 km), longest duration (about 3.5 hours), and fastest forward speed for a significant tornado (73 mph, 117 km/h). Unlike other earlier tornadoes on this list, this tornado is now believed to be one single tornado, not a tornado family See section on this tornado |
December 18, 1957 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F5 | N of Du Quoin to W of Sesser | Perry | 1635 | 5 miles | 1 death. 6 injuries. Caused $50,000-$500,000 in damages. Touched down in a mostly rural area. |
F4 | Murphysboro to rural Franklin County | Jackson, Williamson, Franklin | 1645 | Unknown | 11 deaths |
F4 | Mt. Vernon area | Jefferson | 1555 | Unknown | 1 death |
March 30, 1982 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F2 | Ina area | Jefferson | 2030 | 0.8 miles | 1 death |
May 29, 1982 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F4 | WNW of Carterville to E of Marion | Williamson | 1405 | 17 miles | 10 deaths 52 businesses and 300 homes were destroyed, 324 homes were damaged, and over 200 cars destroyed. Over 200 were injured and 1,000 left homeless. See section on this tornado |
December 2, 1982 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F3 | New Baden area | Clinton | 2110 | 11 miles | 1 death |
April 5, 1985 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F2 | SW of Clarmin area | Randolph | 458 | 1.8 miles | 1 death |
June 2, 1990 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F4 | N of Aden to Mt. Carmel | Hamilton, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash | 1720 | 43 miles | 1 death |
April 21, 2002 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F3 | W of Wayne City to Ellery | Wayne | 1449 [1] | 30 miles (52.8 km) | 1 death Vehicles were picked up and deposited in houses. Well-constructed houses lost roofs and some walls. Weaker structures, including a tavern near Sims, were demolished. |
F3 | 9 W Dongola to 7 E Dongola | Union | 0018 | 16 miles | 1 death A train was blown off the tracks. Several wood houses were demolished, and seven double-wide trailers were destroyed. Approximately 75 homes were damaged. A recreational vehicle was tossed across Lake Dongola and impaled into the ground. |
May 6, 2003 | |||||
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F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F4 | N of New Grand Chain to N of Golconda | Pulaski, Massac, Pope | 2032 | 33 miles (52.8 km) | 2 deaths Several homes were destroyed while several others sustained minor to severe damage while other structures including frame homes (including being swept away from its foundation), mobile homes, two businesses, outbuildings and a campground were destroyed. A Conservation Area sustained severe damage to its facilities. Thirteen people were also injured. See section on this tornado |
April 2, 2006 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
F2 | SW of Fairview Heights to 4 mi NE of Fairview Heights | St. Clair | 1615 | 7 miles | 1 death |
February 29, 2012 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
EF4 | Carrier Mills to Ridgway | Saline, Gallatin | 1051 | 26.5 miles | 8 deaths 110 people were injured, two neighborhoods were completely flattened, and a shopping mall and church were destroyed in Harrisburg. In Harrisburg over 200 homes and about 25 businesses were destroyed or damaged heavily. At least 10 homes and other buildings were leveled completely and several structures were swept from their foundations. See section on this tornado |
November 17, 2013 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | Location | County | Time (local) | Path length | Damage |
EF3 | Woodville, Kentucky to Brookport, Illinois to NW of Eddyville, Kentucky | McCracken (KY), Massac (IL), Pope (IL), Livingston (KY), Lyon (KY) | 2005 | 42 miles | 3 deaths This tornado completely destroyed dozens of mobile homes, many of which were blown over 100 feet (30 m). Also in Brookport, a frail site-built home was leveled, and dozens of homes, garages, storage buildings, and businesses sustained structural damage. Hundreds of trees were downed and cars were tossed as well. See section on this tornado |
On March 18, 1925, one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in recorded history generated at least 12 significant tornadoes and spanned a large portion of the midwestern and southern United States. In all, at least 751 men, women and children were killed and more than 2,298 were injured, making the outbreak the deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history. The outbreak generated several destructive tornadoes in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on the same day, as well as significant tornadoes in Alabama and Kansas. In addition to confirmed tornadoes, there were undoubtedly others with lesser impacts, the occurrences of which have been lost to history.
These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred around the globe.
On April 10–12, 1965, a historic severe weather event affected the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. The tornado outbreak produced 55 confirmed tornadoes in one day and 16 hours. The worst part of the outbreak occurred during the afternoon hours of April 11 into the overnight hours going into April 12. The second-largest tornado outbreak on record at the time, this deadly series of tornadoes, which became known as the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, inflicted a swath of destruction from Cedar County, Iowa, to Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and a swath 450 miles long (724 km) from Kent County, Michigan, to Montgomery County, Indiana. The main part of the outbreak lasted 16 hours and 35 minutes and is among the most intense outbreaks, in terms of tornado strength, ever recorded, including at least four "double/twin funnel" tornadoes. In all, the outbreak killed 266 people, injured 3,662 others, and caused $1.217 billion in damage. In 2023, tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis created the outbreak intensity score (OIS) as a way to rank various tornado outbreaks. The 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak received an OIS of 238, making it the fourth worst tornado outbreak in recorded history.
This article lists various tornado records. The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State tornado, which spread through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925. It is considered an F5 on the Fujita Scale, holds records for longest path length at 219 miles (352 km) and longest duration at about 3+1⁄2 hours. The 1974 Guin tornado had the highest forward speed ever recorded in a violent tornado, at 75 mph (121 km/h). The deadliest tornado in world history was the Daulatpur–Saturia tornado in Bangladesh on April 26, 1989, which killed approximately 1,300 people. In the history of Bangladesh, at least 19 tornadoes killed more than 100 people each, almost half of the total for the world. The most extensive tornado outbreak on record was the 2011 Super Outbreak, which resulted in 367 tornadoes and 324 tornadic fatalities, whereas the 1974 Super Outbreak was the most intense tornado outbreak on tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis's outbreak intensity score with 578, as opposed to the 2011 outbreak's 378.
On March 23, 1913—Easter Sunday—a devastating tornado outbreak affected the northern Great Plains and sections of the Upper Midwest, lasting approximately 31⁄2 hours. It was the most violent tornado outbreak to affect the northern Great Plains on so early a date in the year—a record that still stands as of 2020. That day, four F4 tornadoes affected portions of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, killing at least 168 people. The deadliest tornado of the day was a violent tornado, retroactively rated F4 on the present-day Fujita scale, that grew to 1⁄4 mile (440 yd) in width as it passed through northern Omaha, Nebraska, killing at least 94 people in the city proper and three in rural areas. Damage in Omaha reached at least F4, possibly even F5, intensity, though confirmation of F5 damage could not be determined from available evidence. The tornado is the 13th deadliest ever to affect the United States and the deadliest to hit the U.S. state of Nebraska as of 2014. No other violent tornado would affect Omaha for another 62 years. Outside the Great Plains, the outbreak of March 23 also produced two other F4 tornadoes, one each in Missouri and Indiana, including a devastating path more than 1⁄2 mi (880 yd) through southern Terre Haute, Indiana, killing 21 people and injuring 250. In all, tornadoes struck Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Indiana, and Missouri, though only significant events were recorded and other, weaker tornadoes may have gone undetected.
On March 28, 1920, a large outbreak of at least 37 tornadoes, 31 of which were significant, took place across the Midwestern and Southern United States. The tornadoes left at least 153 dead and at least 1,215 injured. Many communities and farmers alike were caught off-guard as the storms moved to the northeast at speeds that reached over 60 mph (97 km/h). Most of the fatalities occurred in Georgia (37), Ohio (28), and Indiana (21), while the other states had lesser totals. Little is known about many of the specific tornadoes that occurred, and the list below is only partial.
The tornado outbreak of April 10–11, 2001, was a large tornado outbreak which affected the central Great Plains on April 10–11, 2001. During the two-day outbreak, it produced a total of 79 tornadoes across eight states including Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan. Four people were killed, 18 injured, and more than $23 million in damage was reported. The fatalities were reported in Oklahoma, Iowa and Missouri including two from a single tornado in Wapello County, Iowa.
The Climate of Illinois describes the weather conditions, and extremes, noted within the state of Illinois, United States, over time.
The tornado outbreak sequence of June 3–11, 2008 was a series of tornado outbreaks affecting most of central and eastern North America from June 3–11, 2008. 192 tornadoes were confirmed, along with widespread straight–line wind wind damage. Seven people were killed from a direct result of tornadoes; four in Iowa, two in Kansas, and one in Indiana. Eleven additional people were killed across five states by other weather events including lightning, flash flooding, and straight-line winds. Severe flooding was also reported in much of Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa as a result of the same thunderstorms, while high heat and humidity affected much of eastern North America; particularly along the eastern seaboard of the United States from New York City to the Carolinas.
Tornadoes are more common in the United States than in any other country or state. The United States receives more than 1,200 tornadoes annually—four times the amount seen in Europe. Violent tornadoes—those rated EF4 or EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale—occur more often in the United States than in any other country.
On December 18–20, 1957, a significant tornado outbreak sequence affected the southern Midwest and the South of the contiguous United States. The outbreak sequence began on the afternoon of December 18, when a low-pressure area approached the southern portions of Missouri and Illinois. Supercells developed and proceeded eastward at horizontal speeds of 40 to 45 miles per hour, yielding what was considered the most severe tornado outbreak in Illinois on record so late in the calendar year. Total losses in the state were estimated to fall within the range of $8–$10 million.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1975, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1972, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1962, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although tornadoes events can take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1960, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
In the midday and afternoon hours of March 18, 1925, the deadliest tornado in United States history and second-deadliest worldwide would move through Eastern Missouri, Southern Illinois and Southern Indiana, killing over six hundred people and injuring over two thousand more in what became known as the Great Tri-State tornado. The tornado touched down as part of a larger severe weather outbreak that hit the United States on the same day, and produced catastrophic damage across numerous villages and towns across all three states. Despite not being officially rated, it is widely accepted to have been equivalent to an F5 on the Fujita scale.