Severe weather season has been off to a very active start in Illinois, with everything from flooding, hail, and damaging winds, and the most tornadoes of any state in the nation so far.
Severe weather season has been off to a very active start in Illinois , with everything from flooding, hail, and damaging winds, and the most tornadoes of any state in the nation so far.
As of April 23, the confirmed count for tornadoes across the state of Illinois stands at 99 and counting, easily leading the entire country by far. The annual average for Illinois tornadoes by this time of year is 54. Preliminary counts showed more than 100 tornadoes so far this year, but the official confirmed account Thursday reflects a finalized count from Ed Shimon, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Lincoln, Illinois. Sometimes preliminary counts include duplicate tornadoes.
With our severe weather season just getting started and lasting through September, that number has the chance to go up. The 99 confirmed tornadoes also include one landspout tornado that was confirmed in the Chicago area Wednesday. As of April 19, there have been at least 20 tornadoes in the National Weather Service Chicago forecast area, which includes parts of northwest Indiana.
The typical number for that forecast area is between 10 to 20 tornadoes per year. satellite tornado just southwest of Sun River Terrace. This was a southward-moving satellite tornado associated with the Kankakee-Roselawn EF-3 tornado. tornado in southeastern Ganeer Township, southeast of Sun River Terrace. This was another brief satellite tornado associated with the Kankakee-Roselawn EF-3 tornado. tornado in Momence Township, north of Hopkins Park.
This was an anticyclonic satellite tornado that initially moved north, stopped, then tracked south before ending very near its starting location. As the climate warms, Illinois has seen a surge in tornado activity in the last few years. This is the fourth year in a row Illinois has surpassed 100 tornadoes statewide. In 2023 and 2025, Illinois ranked 1st in the country, with the most confirmed tornadoes out of any other state – 121 in 2023 and 126 in 2025.
In 2024, Illinois ranked 2nd in the U.S., with a state record 142 tornadoes, while Oklahoma lead the country that year with 153 confirmed tornadoes. Meteorologists have said, over the last 40 years, the number of tornadoes has gone down in states like Texas and Oklahoma, in what's known as the nation's Tornado Alley, while in areas further east, like Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois, have seen an increase in tornadoes.
Severe storms expected in the afternoon & evening for Denver area, Eastern Plains
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