Illinois Just Set a National Record for Tornadoes in a Single Year

It has been a record-breaking year for the state of Illinois, but not in a good way. The Land of Lincoln recently set a new U.S. state record for the most tornadoes in a year. Let's take a deeper dive into this statistic.

An Unlikely State Leads the U.S. in Preliminary Tornadoes

Although it has been a relatively calm year for most of Tornado Alley, the volume of twisters is significantly up in the Midwest. The prevalence of tornadoes in this part of the nation has resulted in a new national record belonging to the state of Illinois, an unlikely place to see this much tornadic activity.

According to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), Illinois has notched 243 preliminary tornadoes thus far in 2026. This figure exceeds the count of any other state for a full calendar year, going back to 1950.

The early numbers coming out of Illinois include five EF3 tornadoes, as classified on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The strongest twister to hit the state thus far this year was the Kankakee-Roselawn tornado. This event killed people when it roared through the state with 160 mph winds on March 10. The other EF3 tornadoes were the Effingham, Dix, Washburn, and Long Point-Streator events.

Comparing Illinois' Tornadic Activity to the Rest of the Country

As a whole, the U.S. has recorded 1,395 preliminary tornado reports in 2026. This is just a bit over the historical average of 1,162 by this point in the calendar year.

Not surprisingly, due to the tornadic patterns this year, Indiana is another state that has seen elevated numbers of tornadoes. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have also recorded much higher than usual numbers of tornadoes in 2026.

What is most interesting to climatologists is that it has been eerily quiet in the classic Tornado Alley swath of the U.S. For instance, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas would typically be at the top of the list by the end of July. However, Texas has only seen 60 preliminary tornado reports, good enough for the second-lowest for the Lone Star State since the preliminary report record started in 2004.

The general storm track this year has shifted to the north, sending the bulk of the twisters well away from Texas and Oklahoma and into the Midwest. The ongoing drought conditions in the West have pushed large batches of warm air across the southern Plains, putting a lid on tornado development in this region.

That said, the strongest tornado of the year still belongs to Tornado Alley. Enid, Oklahoma, saw an EF4 come to life on April 23, causing significant damage with its 180 mph winds. Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Virginia are at the top of the list for the most wind reports this year, while Kansas and Texas have seen the most hail events. Although the peak of severe weather season has passed, you cannot count out a storm outbreak heading into the fall.

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