‘It’s just been a really active year’: Illinois leads nation in number of tornadoes

More tornadoes touched down in Illinois during a recent 12-month span than in any other state.

That’s according to recent data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that shows 115 tornadoes touched down in Illinois from May 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023.

Alabama saw 110 tornadoes during that same time frame, while Texas recorded 105, NOAA records show.

“Our state is leading the country so far this calendar year, as well,” said David King, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Romeoville. “It’s just been a really active year.”

King said a contributing factor to this year’s tally is a high-pressure system settled over the desert southwest portion of the U.S. and a low-pressure system that has hovered over Ontario, Canada, for much of the year, placing Illinois right in the middle of those competing weather systems and wind flow.

NOAA figures show the 115 tornadoes recorded in Illinois from May 2022 through April 2023 were spawned by 22 separate weather systems during that time. That translates to more than five tornadoes per storm.

All but two of the 115 tornadoes were rated as 2 or lower on the “Enhanced Fujita scale,” used to categorize the strength of a tornado with 0 being the weakest and 5 being the strongest.

The biggest outbreak was on March 31 of this year, when 50 tornadoes were recorded statewide. Four people died and 48 others were hurt by two of those tornadoes in downstate Boone and Crawford counties.

Of the state’s 102 counties, 48 experienced at least one of the 115 tornadoes, according to weather records.

Illinois’ 115 tornadoes recorded are the most from May through April since 2006, NOAA figures show. That 12-month span also saw 115 twisters. Two years prior, 141 tornadoes were recorded from May 2003 through April 2004, the data shows.

Over the past 20 years, Illinois has averaged just under 70 tornadoes a year.

The uptick this year has more to do with weather patterns, advancements in technology and urban sprawl than climate change, weather experts said.

“Tornadoes are a tough one to blame on climate change,” said Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist. “It’s really challenging to make that connection compared to heat waves and drought.”

King said advancements in radar and other severe weather detection equipment have made it easier for meteorologists to spot tornadoes in real-time, and urban sprawl means more people likely will be affected by tornadic activity than before.

Residents in neighborhoods in exurban counties such as DeKalb, Grundy and Kendall are going to notice tornado damage and report it with greater frequency than when that land was just farm fields and open space.

“There’s just more people able to observe and spot a tornado than before,” King noted.

The geography of Illinois also plays a part in its frequency for being a tornado target. Because the state is longer than it is wide, and tornadoes tend to track west to east, there’s more of Illinois in the path of these storms than other tornado-alley states.

So far in 2023, Illinois has recorded 107 tornadoes statewide, King said. The record for the most tornadoes in a calendar year was set in 2006, when 124 touched down.