Lee County tornado history

39 tornadoes touched Lee County, Illinois between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.5 a year. The strongest was rated EF4 (Apr 9, 2015). Tornadoes here killed 3 and injured 28 people.

39tornadoes since 1950

EF4strongest rating

3killed · 28 injured

74.5 milongest path · 1958

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

By rating

(E)F016

(E)F111

(E)F28

(E)F30

(E)F41

(E)F50

unrated3

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: June.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 9, 2015	EF4	30.1 mi	700 yd	11	2
Apr 6, 1972	F2	17.5 mi	50 yd	9	1
Aug 15, 1958	F2	74.5 mi	100 yd	0	0
Mar 31, 2023	EF2	9.3 mi	350 yd	0	0
Jun 22, 2015	EF2	7.8 mi	880 yd	7	0
May 7, 1962	F2	7.2 mi	10 yd	0	0
Apr 21, 1967	F2	5.6 mi	77 yd	0	0
Jul 8, 1993	F2	0.3 mi	30 yd	0	0
Aug 30, 1956	F2	0.1 mi	17 yd	0	0
Mar 31, 2023	EF1	13.9 mi	150 yd	0	0
Apr 29, 1991	F1	10 mi	100 yd	0	0
Mar 31, 2023	EF1	7.8 mi	75 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width
Feb 27, 2024	EF0	0.1 mi	10 yd
Aug 14, 2023	unrated	0.3 mi	10 yd
Mar 31, 2023	EF1	13.9 mi	150 yd
Mar 31, 2023	EF2	9.3 mi	350 yd
Mar 31, 2023	EF1	7.8 mi	75 yd
Aug 9, 2021	unrated	1.3 mi	75 yd
Jul 4, 2020	unrated	0.1 mi	25 yd
May 27, 2019	EF0	0.7 mi	30 yd
Jun 22, 2016	EF1	4.1 mi	300 yd
Jun 22, 2016	EF0	0.1 mi	50 yd
Jun 22, 2015	EF0	2.6 mi	50 yd
Jun 22, 2015	EF1	7.4 mi	50 yd

Deadliest: Apr 9, 2015, EF4, 2 killed.

Nearby counties

Ogle County, IL33 Bureau County, IL47 DeKalb County, IL30 Whiteside County, IL43 LaSalle County, IL66 Putnam County, IL12 Carroll County, IL21 Winnebago County, IL24

Questions

How many tornadoes has Lee County, Illinois had?

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

What was the strongest tornado in Lee County?

The strongest rating recorded was EF4 on Apr 9, 2015, with a 30.1-mile path and 2 deaths.

When is tornado season in Lee County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in June (11 of 39). 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).