Franklin County tornado history

21 tornadoes touched Franklin County, Illinois between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Dec 18, 1957). Tornadoes here killed 13 and injured 245 people.

21tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

13killed · 245 injured

112.1 milongest path · 1961

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

By rating

(E)F07

(E)F18

(E)F22

(E)F32

(E)F42

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: April.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Dec 18, 1957	F4	28.3 mi	300 yd	200	11
Feb 28, 2017	EF4	53.5 mi	1,100 yd	12	1
Apr 27, 1971	F3	4.5 mi	200 yd	20	1
Apr 5, 1958	F3	20.6 mi	100 yd	11	0
Mar 6, 1961	F2	112.1 mi	50 yd	0	0
Feb 9, 1960	F2	24 mi	77 yd	1	0
May 8, 2009	EF1	5.5 mi	150 yd	0	0
Jun 8, 2009	EF1	4.8 mi	300 yd	0	0
Dec 5, 2021	EF1	3.9 mi	175 yd	0	0
Apr 19, 1996	F1	2.5 mi	100 yd	0	0
Apr 27, 1994	F1	1 mi	23 yd	1	0
Jun 19, 2015	EF1	0.9 mi	150 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Mar 30, 2022	EF0	4 mi	100 yd	0	0
Dec 5, 2021	EF1	3.9 mi	175 yd	0	0
Feb 28, 2017	EF4	53.5 mi	1,100 yd	12	1
May 11, 2016	EF0	0.1 mi	30 yd	0	0
Jun 19, 2015	EF1	0.9 mi	150 yd	0	0
Jan 29, 2013	EF0	0.6 mi	75 yd	0	0
Apr 19, 2011	EF1	0.3 mi	50 yd	0	0
Apr 19, 2011	EF1	0.1 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jun 8, 2009	EF1	4.8 mi	300 yd	0	0
May 8, 2009	EF0	0.3 mi	40 yd	0	0
May 8, 2009	EF1	5.5 mi	150 yd	0	0
May 25, 2004	F0	0.5 mi	50 yd	0	0

Deadliest: Dec 18, 1957, F4, 11 killed.

Nearby counties

Williamson County, IL23 Jefferson County, IL33 Hamilton County, IL14 Perry County, IL25 Saline County, IL19 Jackson County, IL41 Washington County, IL35 Johnson County, IL20

Questions

How many tornadoes has Franklin County, Illinois had?

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

What was the strongest tornado in Franklin County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on Dec 18, 1957, with a 28.3-mile path and 11 deaths.

When is tornado season in Franklin County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in April (6 of 21). 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.