46
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
55
Direct injuries
$12.5M
Property damage
Tornado in DuPage County, Illinois: 46 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #455 nationally and #22 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in DuPage County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in DuPage County is the 2020s, when 20 of the county's 46 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 DuPage County archive, tornado makes up 4.7% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #455 for this hazard and #22 within Illinois, putting it in the 84.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in DuPage County with 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-06-13 | EF4 | 3.3 mi | 1,760 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-06-20 | EF3 | 17.6 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF3 | 22.6 mi | 30 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-21 | EF2 | 0.2 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-17 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-08-24 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 83 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-04-19 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-11-12 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-26 | EF2 | 13.8 mi | 70 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-09-26 | EF2 | 9.3 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 1976 | F2 | 0 | 25 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 21, 2021 | NAPERVILLE | EF3 | 0 | 11 | $0 |
| May 26, 1965 | F2 | 0 | 11 | $250K | |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 29, 1955 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 25, 1971 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2025 | HANOVER PARK | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | BENSENVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | VILLA PARK | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | FLOWERFIELD | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2024 | DOWNERS GROVE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2024 | BUTTERFIELD | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2024 | WEST CHICAGO | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2023 | WARRENHURST | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | ITASCA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | CAROL STREAM | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from DuPage County
- Thunderstorm Wind 496
- Hail 255
- Flood 77
- Flash Flood 63
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service storm survey confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down near Sunnydale Park and lifted near 55th and Main in Downers Grove. Most of the damage was to trees. Many mature hardwood trees had been snapped or knocked down. A fence was blown down at Downers Grove High School. An estimated 35 homes were damaged by falling trees.
A second, brief tornado touched down in Bloomingdale, near an apartment complex on Century Point Lane. There was roof and window damage at two apartment buildings. Significant damage was done to roofs of houses and to trees from Cardinal Drive east across Bloomingdale Road through Norton Lane and into the area around Sterling Drive.
A brief EF-0 tornado touched down in DuPage county in Downers Grove. Maximum winds were estimated at 70 mph, with a path length of 0.25 miles and path width of 50-75 yards. A few hardwood trees snapped, one snapped a power pole and caused minor garage damage. Also a car parked underneath pole was crushed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in DuPage County, Illinois?
46 tornado events are recorded in DuPage County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in DuPage County?
The strongest tornado on record in DuPage County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for DuPage 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 DuPage County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/dupage-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.