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Tornado in Peoria County, Illinois
32 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.
Peoria County, Illinois, has 32 tornado events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 20 different years.
June is the busiest month, with 8 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 18 events against 6 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 0.9% of the 3,647 tornado events recorded in Illinois; its 5.2 per 100 square miles compares with 6.6 statewide.
By rating: 18 at (E)F0, 6 at (E)F1, 3 at (E)F2, 2 at (E)F3, 1 at (E)F4, 0 at (E)F5 and 2 unrated. Tornadoes before 2007 carry the original Fujita rating.
Compared with Illinois
| Measure | Peoria County | Illinois | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado events since 1950 | 32 | 3,647 | 81,281 |
| Per 100 square miles | 5.2 | 6.6 | 2.3 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 1.8 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 236 | 6,410 |
| Busiest month | June | April | May |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
2Mar
4Apr
4May
6Jun
8Jul
6Aug
0Sep
1Oct
0Nov
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 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jul 2024 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jul 2024 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jul 2024 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 May 2020 | Tornado | EF unrated | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Mar 2020 | Tornado | EF1 | $300K | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jul 2017 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Feb 2017 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Feb 2017 | Tornado | EF0 | $75K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Mar 2016 | Tornado | EF0 | $260K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Mar 2016 | Tornado | EF2 | $1.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Apr 2015 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Nov 2013 | Tornado | EF0 | $40K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jun 2010 | Tornado | EF2 | $85M | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jun 2010 | Tornado | EF1 | $85K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jun 2010 | Tornado | EF1 | $170K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jun 2010 | Tornado | EF0 | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 May 2010 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jul 2009 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Apr 1998 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Apr 1997 | Tornado | F0 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Jun 1996 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 May 1995 | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jun 1990 | Tornado | F0 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jul 1981 | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 May 1981 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Jun 1976 | Tornado | F4 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jun 1974 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 31 Mar 1973 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Sep 1965 | Tornado | F3 | $2.5M | — | — | 30 | County |
| 28 May 1962 | Tornado | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 14 May 1961 | Tornado | F3 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many tornado events has Peoria County had?
32 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 Peoria County?
15 Jul 2024 (Tornado, EF1). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging tornado event recorded in Peoria County?
The tornado of 5 Jun 2010, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $85M.
How does Peoria County compare with Illinois for tornado?
5.2 events per 100 square miles against 6.6 statewide; the county holds 32 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.