60
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$125.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Christian County, Illinois: 60 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #248 nationally and #15 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Christian County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Christian County is the 2010s, when 19 of the county's 60 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 Christian County archive, tornado makes up 13.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #248 for this hazard and #15 within Illinois, putting it in the 91.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Christian County with 20 recorded events, while Oct 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-06-01 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2018-12-01 | EF3 | 12.5 mi | 900 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-20 | EF3 | 8.8 mi | 27 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-12-28 | EF2 | 23.4 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-06 | EF2 | 25.3 mi | 450 yd | Crossed in |
| 2018-12-01 | EF2 | 8.4 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-02-20 | EF2 | 22.4 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-02 | EF2 | 20.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-06-01 | EF2 | 15.5 mi | 450 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-16 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2018 | PALMER | EF3 | 0 | 22 | $118.9M |
| Apr 13, 1987 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 11, 1975 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| Apr 2, 2006 | TAYLORVILLE | F1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | ASSUMPTION | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2026 | ROSAMOND | EF1 | $0 |
| Dec 28, 2025 | OSBERNVILLE | EF2 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2023 | SICILY | EF2 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | SHARPSBURG | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | MT AUBURN | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | BULPITT | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | SICILY | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | HEWITTSVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | MORRISONVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Christian County
- Thunderstorm Wind 217
- Hail 112
- Flash Flood 46
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down along IL Route 48 on the southwest edge of Stonington at 5:34 PM CST. At this time, two circulations aloft merged near the west side of Stonington, causing the tornado to take a sharp turn toward the north. Much of the damage in the town was on the northwest side where house roofs were impacted and several garages and sheds were destroyed. The tornado continued tracking to the north and did significant damage to outbuildings at a farm 4 miles north of Stonington. The tornado then curved toward the northeast, damaging several more outbuildings and sheds before it dissipated near Mosquito Creek, about 5.9 miles east-southeast of Mt. Auburn at 5:52 PM CST.
This tornado crossed into Christian County from Shelby County 2.9 miles south of Pana at 4:19 PM CST. The tornado damaged several outbuildings, trees and a garage south and east of Pana before crossing back into Shelby County 3.0 miles east of Pana at 4:25 PM CST.
A tornado touched down on the north side of Pana at 12:15 PM CST, then tracked northeastward before lifting 3.1 miles NNE of Pana at 12:18 PM CST. Several homes suffered roof damage near the intersection of Almond and Elm streets on the north side of Pana. Trees were blown down, damaging 3 cars. Numerous power lines were knocked down as well. The tornado moved NNE, damaging a house and destroying an outbuilding before dissipating in an open field.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Christian County, Illinois?
60 tornado events are recorded in Christian County between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Christian County?
The strongest tornado on record in Christian County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Christian 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 Christian County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/christian-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.