64
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$46.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Vermilion County, Illinois: 64 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #203 nationally and #12 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Vermilion County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Vermilion County is the 2010s, when 16 of the county's 64 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 Vermilion County archive, tornado makes up 9.3% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #203 for this hazard and #12 within Illinois, putting it in the 93.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Vermilion County with 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-20 | EF4 | 63.7 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 1953-04-09 | EF3 | 156.7 mi | 750 yd | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 29.8 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 14.9 mi | 350 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-10 | EF2 | 3.7 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 19.7 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-11-10 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 7.8 mi | 177 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-08-12 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-08-14 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 1 | 5 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 1982 | F1 | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Nov 17, 2013 | ALLERTON | EF2 | 0 | 1 | $9.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 2025 | RYAN | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2025 | FAIRMOUNT | EFU | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | BISMARCK | EF0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | HOPE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2025 | ARMSTRONG | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2024 | CHENEYVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | REILLY | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | REILLY | EF1 | $0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | RIDGE FARM | EF1 | $0 |
| May 28, 2019 | JAMESBURG | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Vermilion County
- Thunderstorm Wind 368
- Hail 198
- Flash Flood 53
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 in an open field 2.8 miles NE of Allerton at 1:03 PM CST. The tornado tracked to the northeast for about 15 miles and did major damage to 2 homes, roof damage to 4 other homes, and destroyed 9 outbuildings, 4 garages, and 2 grain bins. Numerous trees and power poles were also snapped. The tornado crossed State Route 1 about 2 miles north of Westville, impacting the villages of Belgium and Hegeler where 1 person was injured. Nine homes sustained major damage, 26 had significant roof damage, and more than 100 had minor roof damage. The tornado also damaged more than 50 mobile homes, numerous garages and vehicles, and destroyed about 25 outbuildings. The tornado crossed the Vermilion River and moved through about a mile of forested area before dissipating 4.4 miles NE of Westville and 3 miles W of the Indiana border. Total damage was estimated at $9.5 million.
This tornado crossed from Champaign County into Vermilion County 4.1 miles NW of Armstrong at 1:00 PM CST, then tracked northeastward across rural northwest Vermilion County. The tornado destroyed 1 home, 20 outbuildings, and a camper. It also damaged 7 other homes and snapped numerous power poles and trees. The tornado weakened as it moved out of Vermilion County into Iroquois County in National Weather Service Chicago's County Warning Area (CWA) about 3.7 miles WNW of Hoopeston at 1:14PM CST.
A tornado touched down 4.4 miles east of Rossvile at 711 PM CST. It traveled northeastward, damaging 6 grain bins, 2 farmsteads, 2 large sheds, and a combine before dissipating 5.6 miles east-northeast of Rossville at 714 PM CST.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Vermilion County, Illinois?
64 tornado events are recorded in Vermilion County between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Vermilion County?
The strongest tornado on record in Vermilion County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Vermilion 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 Vermilion County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/vermilion-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.