69
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
88
Direct injuries
$34.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Kankakee County, Illinois: 69 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #172 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Kankakee County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Kankakee County is the 2010s, when 21 of the county's 69 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Kankakee County archive, tornado makes up 12.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #172 for this hazard and #10 within Illinois, putting it in the 94.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Kankakee County with 16 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-04-17 | EF4 | 57.3 mi | 130 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF3 | 38.5 mi | 250 yd | Crossed in |
| 1954-04-07 | EF3 | 42.6 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-05 | EF3 | 7.8 mi | 175 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 12.0 mi | 750 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-23 | EF3 | 51.7 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-30 | EF2 | 3.9 mi | 240 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-07 | EF2 | 14.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-04-20 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-22 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1963 | F4 | 1 | 50 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 7, 1954 | F3 | 1 | 13 | $250K | |
| Mar 10, 2026 | (IKK) GREATER KANKAKEE AIRPORT | EF3 | 1 | 9 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 1982 | F3 | 0 | 15 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 6, 2010 | AROMA PARK | EF3 | 0 | 1 | $600K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | SHERBURNVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2026 | SUN RIVER TERRACE | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | AHERN | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | SUN RIVER TERRACE | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | SUN RIVER TERRACE | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | SUN RIVER TERRACE | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | (IKK) GREATER KANKAKEE AIRPORT | EF3 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | OTTO | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | KANKAKEE AIRPORT | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | SHERBURNVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Kankakee County
- Thunderstorm Wind 282
- Hail 138
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A brief tornado developed about 5 miles southwest of Kankakee, or 3 miles south of Limestone, in southern Kankakee County. This brief tornado caused damage to a farm just north of the intersection of 5000W Road and 3000S Road. Several trees were uprooted or snapped. A machine shed on the property was destroyed, along with farm equipment and vehicles. A quonset building was damaged, and a fence was blown over. The tornado was rated EF1 with winds estimated at around 100 mph.
This strong tornado touched down slightly north of the intersection between E. 10500N Rd and N. 14000E Rd. The tornado torqued a house on its foundation beyond repair and damaged a small church. There were also numerous barns and outbuildings destroyed and severe damage to several large trees. The tornado dissipated near N. 17500E Rd. Maximum winds were estimated to 115 mph.
Tree damage was observed at multiple locations along the path of this tornado including snapped hardwood trees. Additional damage included snapped utility poles, roof and shingle damage to homes, overturned campers, and an attached garage removed from a home that was under construction. Two people reported watching this tornado as it just missed their property. Two buildings, built from concrete blocks, were destroyed near 11580E and 7000S. At 4702S and 14000E, storage sheds were destroyed and a metal grain bin was blown over. Shingles were also blown off the roof of a house.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Kankakee County, Illinois?
69 tornado events are recorded in Kankakee County between 1950 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Kankakee County?
The strongest tornado on record in Kankakee County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Kankakee County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Kankakee County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/kankakee-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.