56
Recorded events
12
Direct deaths
124
Direct injuries
$12.1M
Property damage
Tornado in St. Clair County, Illinois: 56 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #292 nationally and #16 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in St. Clair County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in St. Clair County is the 2020s, when 15 of the county's 56 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 St. Clair County archive, tornado makes up 6.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #292 for this hazard and #16 within Illinois, putting it in the 89.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in St. Clair County with 17 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-02-24 | EF4 | 77.6 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1968-05-15 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-05 | EF3 | 60.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF3 | 9.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-01 | EF3 | 16.0 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-02 | EF2 | 7.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 11.0 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-08 | EF2 | 11.8 mi | 176 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-10 | EF2 | 3.5 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF2 | 0.4 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 1956 | F4 | 6 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| May 16, 1968 | F3 | 4 | 60 | $250K | |
| Apr 2, 2006 | FAIRVIEW HGTS | F2 | 1 | 11 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F3 | 1 | 8 | $250K | |
| May 2, 1983 | F2 | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 10, 2003 | CASEYVILLE | F2 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2000 | MILLSTADT | F1 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 24, 1961 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2026 | (BLV)SCOTT AFB BELLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2026 | NEW ATHENS | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | DARMSTADT | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | FLORAVILLE | EF0 | $10K |
| Apr 19, 2025 | ST LIBORY | EF0 | $10K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | MASCOUTAH | EF1 | $260K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | O FALLON | EF1 | $150K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | FLORAVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2024 | SUMMERFIELD | EF0 | $500 |
| Apr 18, 2024 | PARKFIELD TERRACE | EF0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from St. Clair County
- Thunderstorm Wind 457
- Hail 319
- Flash Flood 44
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
At approximately 10:30 PM, a tornado began near Scheve Park in Mascoutah. In Mascoutah the tornado caused roof damage to multiple residences as well as the local high school. Power poles and outbuildings were damaged as well. The most intense damage in town occurred near the intersection of Beechcraft Blvd and Fuesser Rd. The tornado continued northeast where it damaged a grain elevator and more farm outbuildings. The most significant damage in the county occurred near the Madison/Clinton County border where farm outbuildings were completely destroyed and residences sustained heavy roof and window damage. The tornado then crossed into Clinton County. In St. Clair County the tornado was rated EF-1 with a path length of 7.88 miles and a maximum path width of 700 yards.
At approximately 10:28 PM a tornado began in the northeastern outskirts of O'Fallon, IL where it caused damage to multiple mobile homes, single family homes, outbuildings, and trees along its track northeast. The tornado then passed into southern Madison County. In Madison County the tornado was rated EF-1 with a path length of 6.75 miles and a maximum path width of 770 yards. In St. Clair County the tornado was rated EF-1 with a path length of 5.9 miles and a maximum path width of 450 yards.
A weak tornado touched down over a residence just east of Summerfield Street/St. Jacob Road, 1 mile north of Summerfield, IL. Trees suffered damage on the property before the tornado continued north-northeast through a small, open field. The tornado impacted a row of trees on the north edge of the field, entered another field and lifted approximately one minute after initially developing. Overall, the tornado was rated EF0 with a path length of 0.23 miles and a max path width of 50 yards. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in St. Clair County, Illinois?
56 tornado events are recorded in St. Clair County between 1952 and 2026, causing 12 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in St. Clair County?
The strongest tornado on record in St. Clair County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for St. Clair 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 St. Clair County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/st-clair-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.