Cook County tornado history

87 tornadoes touched Cook County, Illinois between 1950 and 2025 — about 1.1 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Apr 21, 1967). Tornadoes here killed 41 and injured 916 people.

87tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

41killed · 916 injured

35.9 milongest path · 1965

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F035

(E)F132

(E)F216

(E)F32

(E)F42

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: July.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 21, 1967	F4	15 mi	200 yd	500	33
Jun 13, 1976	F4	3.3 mi	1,760 yd	23	2
Jun 20, 2021	EF3	17.6 mi	600 yd	11	0
Mar 27, 1991	F3	15 mi	200 yd	7	0
Nov 12, 1965	F2	35.9 mi	120 yd	90	2
Mar 12, 1976	F2	15.1 mi	150 yd	66	2
Mar 4, 1961	F2	7.9 mi	100 yd	115	1
Jun 9, 1966	F2	2.5 mi	10 yd	30	1
Jul 15, 2024	EF2	34.6 mi	325 yd	2	0
May 26, 1965	F2	13.8 mi	70 yd	11	0
Sep 26, 1959	F2	9.3 mi	10 yd	0	0
Jun 7, 2008	EF2	6.5 mi	150 yd	6	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured
Mar 19, 2025	EF0	0.3 mi	50 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF2	34.6 mi	325 yd	2
Jul 15, 2024	EF0	4.1 mi	250 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF0	1.2 mi	175 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF1	2.1 mi	75 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF0	5.7 mi	300 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF1	5.5 mi	250 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF0	0.4 mi	85 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF0	0.4 mi	125 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF1	3.2 mi	150 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF1	3.1 mi	400 yd	0
Jul 15, 2024	EF0	1.4 mi	150 yd	0

Deadliest: Apr 21, 1967, F4, 33 killed.

Nearby counties

Lake County, IL22 DuPage County, IL46 Lake County, IN48 Will County, IL100 Porter County, IN27 Kane County, IL46 Kendall County, IL32 Berrien County, MI32

Questions

How many tornadoes has Cook County, Illinois had?

87 tornadoes touched Cook County, Illinois between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 1.1 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Cook County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on Apr 21, 1967, with a 15-mile path and 33 deaths.

When is tornado season in Cook County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in July (23 of 87). 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.