45
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$9.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Randolph County, Illinois: 45 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #479 nationally and #24 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Randolph County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Randolph County is the 2000s, when 13 of the county's 45 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 Randolph County archive, tornado makes up 10.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #479 for this hazard and #24 within Illinois, putting it in the 83.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Mar is the peak month for tornado in Randolph 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-02-28 | EF4 | 53.5 mi | 1,100 yd | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-11 | EF3 | 53.5 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1971-04-27 | EF3 | 4.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-29 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-12-21 | EF3 | 29.8 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 20.2 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 17.7 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF3 | 5.7 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 33.1 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-10-24 | EF2 | 16.5 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 1985 | F2 | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 8, 2009 | GRIGGS | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 1959 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | RUMA | EF0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | PRAIRIE DU ROCHER | EF1 | $30K |
| Apr 21, 2025 | PRESTON | EF1 | $10K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | ROCKWOOD | EF1 | $50K |
| Aug 30, 2024 | MENARD | EF0 | $2K |
| Oct 25, 2021 | PUJOL | EF2 | $3.0M |
| Mar 1, 2017 | ROCKWOOD | EF2 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 2014 | RUMA | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 8, 2009 | BALDWIN | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 8, 2009 | GRIGGS | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Randolph County
- Thunderstorm Wind 181
- Hail 173
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 north of Ruma and moved northeast before lifting near Baldwin. The damage path was intermittent but Illinois State Police troopers followed it and observed numerous trees blown down and a few farm buildings damaged.
In Randolph County, most tornado damage occurred to trees. A few outbuildings did sustain significant damage to their roofs along the track. The tornado dissipated near Leanderville at approximately 11:55 PM. In Randolph County the tornado was rated EF-1 with a path length of 6.63 miles and a maximum path width of 175 yards. This is a continuation of a tornado that caused EF-1 damage in Bollinger County, MO and EF-2 damage in Perry County, MO.
A brief tornado touched down just south of Prairie du Rocher, destroying an outbuilding before heading north-northeast. From there the tornado caused tree damage and damaged another farm outbuilding before dissipating just southwest of Route 155.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Randolph County, Illinois?
45 tornado events are recorded in Randolph County between 1950 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Randolph County?
The strongest tornado on record in Randolph County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Randolph 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 Randolph County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/randolph-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.