Illinois Tornadoes Surge to Record Highs, Second Only to Texas

When you live in the Midwest, tornadoes are a given. They are a seasonal threat, something you need to be aware of and prepare for. Surprisingly, in the Midwest, Illinois set a new record for number of tornadoes in a year.

Illinois tornado numbers have jumped over the last few years

In 2024 Illinois experienced 126 tornadoes, ranking 4^th in the country. In 2025 that number jumped to 146 -- that is second in the nation behind only Texas.

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The tornado locations in Illinois showed a predominance of paths from the East side of the metro St. Louis area, south to east of St. Genevieve, MO. tracking northeast. Kind of following Interstate 70 towards Terre Haute, Indiana.

Not all tornadoes follow interstate highways, but several do

A second noticeable spot that saw a lot of tornadic activity in Illinois for 2025 was in Central Illinois, where Lynnville had three tornadoes. Jacksonville had a few as well. The paths of these events tracked north, northeast to near Petersburg, Illinois. Oddly enough a couple tornadoes seemed to run out of gas at Newmansville Avenue. I know topography effects tornadoes, but a two lane paved road connecting small towns seems random and odd.

What is happening on Newmansville Road that stops tornadoes?

Traditionally “Tornado Alley” stretched from Texas north through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. Since 2000 the tornado region has expanded to the east. Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee have seen an increase in these severe storms, and Illinois’ numbers have jumped a-lot, and now rank second nationally. You can find a mass amount of tornadic data going back to the mid 20^th century at data.coloradoan.com.