71
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$24.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Henry County, Illinois: 71 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #155 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Henry County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Henry County is the 2020s, when 26 of the county's 71 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 Henry County archive, tornado makes up 10.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #155 for this hazard and #9 within Illinois, putting it in the 94.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Henry County with 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-04 | EF2 | 2.8 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 9.3 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 6.8 mi | 650 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 3.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-04 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 3.1 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-17 | EF2 | 1.3 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-13 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 17 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-21 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-16 | EF2 | 9.2 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 1996 | GALVA | F0 | 0 | 4 | $10.0M |
| Apr 20, 1996 | BISHOP HILL | F3 | 0 | 4 | $10.0M |
| May 18, 2017 | GALVA | EF2 | 0 | 1 | $40K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | HOOPPOLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | GREEN RIVER | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | MORRISTOWN | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | GERMAN CORNER | EF1 | $1K |
| Apr 21, 2025 | KEWANEE MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | MORRISTOWN | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | GALVA | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | NEKOMA | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | OPHEIM | EF0 | $1K |
| Jul 16, 2024 | KEWANEE | EF1 | $50K |
Other hazards here
More from Henry County
- Thunderstorm Wind 304
- Hail 217
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An NWS Storm Survey found that an EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 100 MPH and was 200 yards wide caused extensive tree damage occurred through the city of Kewanee. Many homesteads had minor roof damage. A couple of the homes had large sections of the roofs removed.
An NWS Storm Survey found a second tornado in Kewanee. The tornado was 50 yards wide with peak winds of 105 MPH, which caused damage on the north side of Kewanee. Damage was noted to several large trees including large ones snapped in a park and golf course. There was also some roof damage to a couple of businesses and a storage building.
Tornado was rated EF-2 with peak winds of 120 mph, a path length of 1.29 miles and a max width 50 yards. Damage was to two snapped power poles, one home with significant damage to shingles. Another house had had roof completely removed and blew out doors with one minor injury at this location.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Henry County, Illinois?
71 tornado events are recorded in Henry County between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Henry County?
The strongest tornado on record in Henry County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Henry 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 Henry County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/henry-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.