Jackson County tornado history

41 tornadoes touched Jackson County, Illinois between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.5 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Dec 18, 1957). Tornadoes here killed 12 and injured 249 people.

41tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

12killed · 249 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)F016

(E)F112

(E)F28

(E)F32

(E)F43

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

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
Sep 22, 2006	F4	27.5 mi	225 yd	6	0
Apr 5, 1958	F3	20.6 mi	100 yd	11	0
May 21, 1957	F3	8.5 mi	200 yd	0	0
Mar 6, 1961	F2	112.1 mi	50 yd	0	0
Feb 29, 2012	EF2	31.9 mi	300 yd	1	0
Mar 14, 2025	EF2	15.2 mi	250 yd	0	0
Nov 13, 1951	F2	7.1 mi	250 yd	7	0
Dec 18, 1957	F2	5.4 mi	10 yd	0	0
Dec 18, 1957	F2	1.5 mi	10 yd	5	0
Mar 25, 1970	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	1	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 20, 2025	EF1	1.7 mi	25 yd	0	0
Mar 14, 2025	EF2	15.2 mi	250 yd	0	0
May 8, 2024	EF1	1.3 mi	100 yd	1	0
May 8, 2024	EF1	4.6 mi	75 yd	0	0
Aug 5, 2023	EF0	0.5 mi	25 yd	0	0
Mar 1, 2017	EF0	4.1 mi	25 yd	0	0
Feb 28, 2017	EF4	53.5 mi	1,100 yd	12	1
Dec 23, 2015	EF0	6 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jun 19, 2015	EF1	0.2 mi	75 yd	0	0
Apr 24, 2014	EF1	2.2 mi	100 yd	0	0
Feb 20, 2014	EF1	0.4 mi	50 yd	0	0
Mar 23, 2012	EF0	1.8 mi	50 yd	0	0

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

Nearby counties

Perry County, IL25 Union County, IL25 Perry County, MO27 Williamson County, IL23 Franklin County, IL21 Randolph County, IL45 Cape Girardeau County, MO52 Johnson County, IL20

Questions

How many tornadoes has Jackson County, Illinois had?

41 tornadoes touched Jackson County, Illinois between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.5 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Jackson 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 Jackson County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (9 of 41). 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.