43
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$2.0M
Property damage
Tornado in McDonough County, Illinois: 43 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #537 nationally and #26 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in McDonough County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in McDonough County is the 2020s, when 10 of the county's 43 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 McDonough County archive, tornado makes up 7.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #537 for this hazard and #26 within Illinois, putting it in the 81.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in McDonough County with 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-04-21 | EF3 | 14.1 mi | 17 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-14 | EF3 | 127.1 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1957-05-21 | EF3 | 13.7 mi | 120 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-03-15 | EF2 | 8.2 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 69.2 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-05 | EF2 | 9.4 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-12 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-13 | EF2 | 19.5 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1959-09-27 | EF2 | 9.4 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-20 | EF1 | 7.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1982 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Sep 28, 1959 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | PENNINGTON PT | EF2 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | SCIOTA | EF1 | $16K |
| Apr 21, 2025 | BLANDINSVILLE | EF1 | $6K |
| Jun 14, 2024 | BARDOLPH | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2024 | GOOD HOPE | EFU | $0 |
| May 19, 2024 | ADAIR | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2023 | INDUSTRY | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2022 | MACOMB MUNI ARPT | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2022 | INDUSTRY | EF1 | $0 |
| May 13, 2022 | GOOD HOPE | EFU | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from McDonough County
- Thunderstorm Wind 255
- Hail 196
- Flash Flood 45
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-2 tornado with winds estimated at 115 mph touched down north of Good Hope Illinois in McDonough County. It traveled northeast, crossing into Warren County west of Prairie City and eventually into Fulton County. Several homes were severely damaged with most of the damage occurring to farm outbuildings and trees.
An EF-1 tornado occurred just to the NE of Sciota. Tree damage was found at the beginning of the 3 mile track. The tornado then strengthened and snapped power poles and eventually destroyed a farm outbuilding, with an max estimated speed of 100 MPH.
An EF-1 tornado started just south of Blandinsville and tracked to NE along a 7 mile path. Tree damage was noted at numerous locations with large branches and some trees snapped. Power poles in two locations were snapped, resulting in an estimated max wind speed of 100 MPH.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in McDonough County, Illinois?
43 tornado events are recorded in McDonough County between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in McDonough County?
The strongest tornado on record in McDonough County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for McDonough 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 McDonough County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/mcdonough-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.