Southern Illinois tornado history
Listed below are confirmed killer tornadoes listed by date in Southern Illinois, United States. Modern record keeping in the region began in the 1880s, although there were undoubtedly many other deaths that have been lost to history. It is important to note that before the 1950s tornadoes were not officially ranked. The current rankings are an estimation due to the accounts of witnesses.
Southern Illinois tornadoes by death toll
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 17 |
| March 19, 1883 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | Alton to Bunker Hill | Monroe | Unknown | Unknown | 33 deaths |
| November 6, 1885 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F3 | SE of Sacramento to N of Carmi | White | 1645 | 16 miles (26 km) | 1 death |
| April 22, 1887 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | Mt. Carmel to near the White River, Indiana | Wabash Illinois – Gibson, Pike | 1800 | 30 miles (48 km) | 5 deaths |
| June 3, 1887 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Old Shawneetown | Gallitan | Unknown | Unknown | 3 deaths |
| February 19, 1888 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | Mt. Vernon | Jefferson | 1630 | 20 miles (32 km) | 24 deaths The southern half of Mt. Vernon was destroyed. 300 homes and 50 businesses were destroyed or damaged |
| March 27, 1890 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | NW of Shawneetown to N of Carbondale | Cape Girardeau, Perry Missouri – Jackson Illinois | 1620 | 30 miles (48 km) | 7 deaths |
| F4 | NW of Thebes to Stonefort | Scott Missouri – Alexander, Union, Johnson, Williamson Illinois | 1645 | 55 miles (89 km) | 2 deaths |
| F3 | W of Sparta to ENE of Nashville | Randolph, Washington | 1715 | 40 miles (64 km) | 2 deaths |
| F4 | Metropolis to West Louisville | Massac Illinois – McCracken, Pope, Livingston, Crittenden, Webster, McClean, Daviess Kentucky | 1715 | 95 miles (153 km) | 21 deaths Likely a family of tornadoes |
| F2 | W of Carmi to Crossville | White | 1800 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | 1 deaths |
| May 27, 1896 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | St. Louis, Missouri to East St. Louis, Illinois | St. Louis City, Missouri – St.Clair, Illinois | Unknown | Unknown | 118 deaths in Southern Illinois
282+ deaths overall – See section on this tornado |
| March 18, 1925 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F5 | NNW of Ellington, Missouri to 10 mi (16 km) NE of Princeton, Indiana | Reynolds, Iron, Madison, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry, Missouri – Jackson, Williamson, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Illinois – Posey, Gibson, Pike, Indiana | 1301 | 234 miles (377 km) | 613 deaths in Southern Illinois
695 deaths overall Deadliest single tornado in US history. Most extreme tornado in recorded history. Holds the record longest path length (219 miles, 352 km), longest duration (about 3.5 hours), and fastest forward speed for a significant tornado (73 mph, 117 km/h). Unlike other earlier tornadoes on this list, this tornado is now believed to be one single tornado, not a tornado family See section on this tornado |
| December 18, 1957 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F5 | N of Du Quoin to W of Sesser | Perry | 1635 | 5 miles | 1 death. 6 injuries. Caused $50,000-$500,000 in damages. Touched down in a mostly rural area. |
| F4 | Murphysboro to rural Franklin County | Jackson, Williamson, Franklin | 1645 | Unknown | 11 deaths |
| F4 | Mt. Vernon area | Jefferson | 1555 | Unknown | 1 death |
| March 30, 1982 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2 | Ina area | Jefferson | 2030 | 0.8 miles | 1 death |
| May 29, 1982 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | WNW of Carterville to E of Marion | Williamson | 1405 | 17 miles | 10 deaths 52 businesses and 300 homes were destroyed, 324 homes were damaged, and over 200 cars destroyed. Over 200 were injured and 1,000 left homeless. See section on this tornado |
| December 2, 1982 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F3 | New Baden area | Clinton | 2110 | 11 miles | 1 death |
| April 5, 1985 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2 | SW of Clarmin area | Randolph | 458 | 1.8 miles | 1 death |
| June 2, 1990 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | N of Aden to Mt. Carmel | Hamilton, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash | 1720 | 43 miles | 1 death |
| April 21, 2002 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F3 | W of Wayne City to Ellery | Wayne | 1449 [1] | 30 miles (52.8 km) |
1 death Vehicles were picked up and deposited in houses. Well-constructed houses lost roofs and some walls. Weaker structures, including a tavern near Sims, were demolished. |
| F3 | 9 W Dongola to 7 E Dongola | Union | 0018 | 16 miles | 1 death A train was blown off the tracks. Several wood houses were demolished, and seven double-wide trailers were destroyed. Approximately 75 homes were damaged. A recreational vehicle was tossed across Lake Dongola and impaled into the ground. |
| May 6, 2003 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | N of New Grand Chain to N of Golconda | Pulaski, Massac, Pope | 2032 | 33 miles (52.8 km) |
2 deaths Several homes were destroyed while several others sustained minor to severe damage while other structures including frame homes (including being swept away from its foundation), mobile homes, two businesses, outbuildings and a campground were destroyed. A Conservation Area sustained severe damage to its facilities. Thirteen people were also injured. See section on this tornado |
| April 2, 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2 | SW of Fairview Heights to 4 mi NE of Fairview Heights | St. Clair | 1615 | 7 miles | 1 death |
| February 29, 2012 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | Carrier Mills to Ridgway | Saline, Gallatin | 1051 | 26.5 miles | 8 deaths 110 people were injured, two neighborhoods were completely flattened, and a shopping mall and church were destroyed in Harrisburg. In Harrisburg over 200 homes and about 25 businesses were destroyed or damaged heavily. At least 10 homes and other buildings were leveled completely and several structures were swept from their foundations. See section on this tornado |
| November 17, 2013 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F3 | Woodville, Kentucky to Brookport, Illinois to NW of Eddyville, Kentucky | McCracken (KY), Massac (IL), Pope (IL), Livingston (KY), Lyon (KY) | 2005 | 42 miles | 3 deaths This tornado completely destroyed dozens of mobile homes, many of which were blown over 100 feet (30 m). Also in Brookport, a frail site-built home was leveled, and dozens of homes, garages, storage buildings, and businesses sustained structural damage. Hundreds of trees were downed and cars were tossed as well. See section on this tornado |
See also
External links
- The Tri-State Tornado (The Tornado Project)
- 1925 Tri-State Tornado (NWS Paducah, Kentucky)
- The Weather Channel's Storm of the Century list - #7 The Tri-State Tornado
- The Great Tri-State Tornado (RootsWeb Genealogy)
- Newspaper Coverage of the Tri-State Tornado Ravage of Murphysboro (NIU Library)
- Tri-State Tornado: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, March 1925 (Popular Mechanics)
- The 1925 Tornado (Carolyar.com Genealogy)
- 1925 Monster Tornado Killed Hundreds Led to Development of Warning System
- Books
- The Tri-State Tornado: The Story of America's Greatest Tornado Disaster, by Peter S. Felknor. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1992. 131 pages. ISBN 0-8138-0623-2.
- The Forgotten Storm: The Great Tri-state Tornado of 1925, by Wallace E. Akin. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press, 2002. 173 pages. ISBN 1-58574-607-X.
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