78
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
73
Direct injuries
$22.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Macon County, Illinois: 78 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #122 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Macon County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Macon County is the 1970s, when 19 of the county's 78 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 Macon County archive, tornado makes up 13.9% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #122 for this hazard and #6 within Illinois, putting it in the 95.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Macon County with 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-20 | EF4 | 63.7 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 20.9 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-22 | EF3 | 42.9 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1996-04-19 | EF3 | 14.5 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-22 | EF3 | 31.8 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-27 | EF3 | 9.6 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-12-28 | EF2 | 23.4 mi | 250 yd | Crossed in |
| 2014-10-13 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-02 | EF2 | 4.5 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-12 | EF2 | 7.6 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 1 | 26 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 20, 1996 | NIANTIC | F3 | 0 | 29 | $9.0M |
| Apr 19, 1996 | DECATUR | F1 | 0 | 9 | $1.5M |
| Apr 2, 2006 | ELWIN | F1 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 13, 1978 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 1, 2007 | ELWIN | EF0 | 0 | 1 | $37K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 28, 2025 | BLUE MOUND | EF2 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | HEMAN | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2024 | EMERY | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2024 | WARRENSBURG | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2024 | HEMAN | EF1 | $0 |
| May 13, 2023 | BOODY | EFU | $0 |
| Jan 4, 2023 | SANGAMON | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 4, 2023 | DECATUR | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2023 | MAROA | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2023 | MAROA | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Macon County
- Thunderstorm Wind 285
- Hail 150
- Flash Flood 43
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 at 10:03 PM CDT on the northwest side of Decatur near the intersection of Division Street and Summit Avenue. The tornado tracked northeastward through Graceland Cemetery, across Oakland Avenue, and just south of the Decatur Memorial Hospital before dissipating near East Maywood Court at 10:07 PM CDT. Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down along the path of the tornado, with the most significant tree damage occurring in Graceland Cemetery. The Plaza TV shop on Oakland Avenue lost its roof and suffered broken windows and siding damage. Other minor roofing damage occurred along the path of the tornado, with numerous trees and tree branches knocked down for several blocks south of the tornado as well. No injuries were reported.
A tornado touched down 3.2 miles north-northwest of Blue Mound at 5:53 PM CST. The tornado pushed a manufactured home off of its foundation on Zion Chapel Road as it moved to the north-northeast. Several outbuildings were destroyed by the tornado about 1-2 miles northeast of the house damage. Numerous trees were snapped before the tornado dissipated after crossing the Sangamon River near the Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park about 3.3 miles south-southwest of Harristown at 5:59 PM CST.
A tornado touched down a half mile east of IL Highway 51 along East School Road about 2.2 miles south of Maroa at 6:31 PM CST. The tornado destroyed a large outbuilding and snapped off many trees in that area, then moved to the northeast, causing periodic tree damage and some home roofing damage before dissipating as it reached the intersection of East Duroc Road and Sawyer Road 1.4 miles southeast of Maroa at 6:33 PM CST.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Macon County, Illinois?
78 tornado events are recorded in Macon County between 1956 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Macon County?
The strongest tornado on record in Macon County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Macon 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 Macon County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/macon-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.