-Date-                      -Deaths-              -Path/Locations-
Marh 18 1925          613            Great Tri-State Tornado(S.IL)
May  27 1896          159             E. St Louis - Mt Vernon
May 26  1917          102            Mattoon - Charleston
May 21  1967          58              Belvidere - Lake Zurich - Oak Lawn
May 18  1883          52              North & Central IL
March 19 1883        33             Alton - Bunker Hill
Aug. 28  1990         29              Plainview - Crest Hill - Joliet
March 28 1920        28              Elgin - Maywood - Melrose Park
Feb. 19   1880        24             Mt. Vernon
April 19 1927          21              Hardin - Springfield - Clinton

The most tornadoes ever recorded in Illinois in a month was 53 in May 1995 and 40 in April 1996. The most in a year was 107 in 1974, 99 in 1998, and 76 in 1995. The least in a year was 4 in 1952 and 1953. Official numbers show that from 1950-1995, there were 1,213 tornadoes, 182 deaths, 3,679 injuries, and about $842,000,000 in monetary damages.


Tornado Climatology for Central and southeast Illinois
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/?n=tor-climo

Severe Storm Climatology, and records for Illinois.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/svrclimo.php

NOAA WX radio Central Illinois.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/nwr/nwrspi.php