Clay County tornado history

19 tornadoes touched Clay County, Illinois between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Jun 2, 1990).

19tornadoes since 1950
F4strongest rating
0killed · 16 injured
24.6 milongest path · 1961
(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F08
(E)F14
(E)F24
(E)F31
(E)F41
(E)F50
unrated1

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
Jun 2, 1990F423 mi300 yd20
Dec 18, 1957F319.6 mi200 yd10
Apr 15, 1998F216 mi130 yd00
Apr 15, 1998F29.5 mi150 yd80
May 26, 2024EF28.3 mi500 yd00
Mar 8, 2009EF25.6 mi100 yd00
Mar 6, 1961F124.6 mi10 yd00
Apr 27, 2002F15 mi200 yd50
May 6, 1960F11 mi100 yd00
May 25, 2011EF11 mi75 yd00
May 27, 2021EF02.8 mi50 yd00
Apr 19, 1996F02 mi50 yd00

Most recent tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
May 26, 2024EF28.3 mi500 yd00
May 27, 2021unrated0.2 mi10 yd00
May 27, 2021EF02.8 mi50 yd00
May 23, 2019EF00.7 mi20 yd00
May 25, 2011EF11 mi75 yd00
Mar 8, 2009EF25.6 mi100 yd00
May 30, 2004F00.2 mi50 yd00
May 30, 2004F00.2 mi50 yd00
May 8, 2003F00.1 mi10 yd00
Apr 27, 2002F15 mi200 yd50
Jun 14, 1998F00.1 mi30 yd00
Apr 15, 1998F29.5 mi150 yd80

Nearby counties

Richland County, IL17Effingham County, IL27Wayne County, IL30Marion County, IL38Jasper County, IL18Edwards County, IL12Fayette County, IL27Cumberland County, IL17

Questions

How many tornadoes has Clay County, Illinois had?

19 tornadoes touched Clay County, Illinois between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Clay County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on Jun 2, 1990, with a 23-mile path.

When is tornado season in Clay County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (9 of 19). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).