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Tornado in Marion County, Illinois
37 tornadoes events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Tornado.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Marion County, Illinois, has 37 tornado events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 21 different years.
May is the busiest month, with 11 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 17 events against 14 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 1% of the 3,647 tornado events recorded in Illinois; its 6.5 per 100 square miles compares with 6.6 statewide.
NCEI attributes 2 deaths in the county to tornadoes.
By rating: 10 at (E)F0, 22 at (E)F1, 4 at (E)F2, 0 at (E)F3, 0 at (E)F4, 0 at (E)F5 and 1 unrated. Tornadoes before 2007 carry the original Fujita rating.
Compared with Illinois
| Measure | Marion County | Illinois | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado events since 1950 | 37 | 3,647 | 81,281 |
| Per 100 square miles | 6.5 | 6.6 | 2.3 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 9.9 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| Deaths recorded | 2 | 236 | 6,410 |
| Busiest month | May | April | May |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
2Mar
4Apr
9May
11Jun
8Jul
1Aug
0Sep
0Oct
1Nov
1Dec
0
Magnitude distribution
Enhanced Fujita scale wind estimates
- EF0/F0
- 65–85 mph (EF0)
- EF1/F1
- 86–110 mph (EF1)
- EF2/F2
- 111–135 mph (EF2)
- EF3/F3
- 136–165 mph (EF3)
- EF4/F4
- 166–200 mph (EF4)
- EF5/F5
- over 200 mph (EF5)
- Unrated
- no rating recorded
Tornado rating as recorded (Fujita scale before February 2007, Enhanced Fujita after).
Recorded events
All 37 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jun 2026 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jun 2026 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jun 2026 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 26 May 2024 | Tornado | EF0 | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 May 2024 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 26 May 2024 | Tornado | EF1 | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Apr 2024 | Tornado | EF1 | $30K | — | — | — | County |
| 31 Mar 2023 | Tornado | EF1 | $2.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 15 May 2022 | Tornado | EF unrated | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2019 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2015 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Oct 2014 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 23 Mar 2012 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Apr 2011 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jun 2008 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Feb 2008 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Feb 2008 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Nov 2005 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 May 2002 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | 2 | — | County |
| 1 May 2002 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2002 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2002 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 May 1999 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | 4 | County |
| 15 Apr 1998 | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Apr 1998 | Tornado | F2 | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Apr 1998 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jun 1996 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 25 May 1996 | Tornado | F0 | $10K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Tornado | F2 | $7.0M | — | — | 7 | County |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Tornado | F1 | $70K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Mar 1976 | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Apr 1975 | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Mar 1974 | Tornado | F1 | $30 | — | — | — | County |
| 7 May 1973 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 28 Jun 1960 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Jul 1959 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many tornado events has Marion County had?
37 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of tornadoes became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded tornado event in Marion County?
21 Jun 2026 (Tornado, EF0). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging tornado event recorded in Marion County?
The tornado of 19 Apr 1996, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $7.0M.
How does Marion County compare with Illinois for tornado?
6.5 events per 100 square miles against 6.6 statewide; the county holds 37 of the state's 3,647 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Tornado hub and the county page.