Storm timing: What to expect and when as severe weather with hail, tornado chances threaten Chicago area (2024)

FAQs

Is it possible for a tornado to hit Chicago? ›

Video shows tornado sirens going off on Sunday night in Chicago during as a tornado-warned storm moved through the region. The National Weather Service in Chicago confirmed two tornadoes that touched down in the city. Both were rated an EF-0.

They usually occur in the late afternoon and evening during the spring and summer, being most common in the south in early spring and in the northern tier of states in the summer. However, tornadoes can occur on any day of the year and at any hour.

Average number of tornadoes in Illinois is 54 per year, but there were none in 1919 and 1933, and as many as 124 tornadoes in 2006 and 121 in 2023.

The weather service confirmed nine tornadoes, most EF-0s, that happened on the night of July 14. These included tornadoes at Midway Airport in Chicago and the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago. The four others were in LaGrange (Cook County), St. Charles (Kane), Elburn (Kane), and Esmond (Ogle).

In fact, Illinois has experienced one of the worst tornadoes in U.S. history. The infamous Tri-State tornado occurred on March 18, 1925, passing through southern Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, leaving 695 dead and 2000 injured.

Traditionally, Tornado Alley is considered as running roughly north from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska to South Dakota, and often including neighboring states to the east and west.

The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have above-normal activity due to a confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear, all of which tend to favor tropical ...

They usually occur during the late afternoon and early evening. However, they have been known to occur in every state in the United States, on any day of the year, and at any hour. They also occur in many other parts of the world, including Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.

The most common month for Illinois tornados is April. Central and Southeast Illinois are the most likely to be affected by tornados.

Has Illinois ever had an F5 tornado? ›

The violent tornado killed 29 people and injured 353. It is the only F5/EF5 rated tornado ever officially recorded in August in the United States (unofficially the 1883 Rochester, Minnesota cyclone is considered an F5), and the only F5 tornado to strike the Chicago area.

Texas and Kansas average the most tornadoes each year. Other parts of the Plains, South and Midwest also have a high number of tornadoes annually.

The tornado formed just west of Western Avenue near the Eisenhower Expressway before ending near Washington Boulevard and the Chicago River. It was an EF-1, considered a smaller tornado on a scale of 0-5. Still, a tornado in Downtown and adjacent areas is very rare, weather experts said.

The Near West Side, one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, is on the West Side, west of the Chicago River and adjacent to the Loop. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 started on the Near West Side.

In a typical year, Illinois averages 50 tornadoes. Last year there were 50 tornadoes reported, resulting in 3 fatalities, 17 injuries, and more than $12 Million damage.

Chicago is highly unlikely to be pummeled by a full-blown hurricane. But hey, weather can be a funny thing, so it's always good to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws your way. Stock up on some winter woolies instead of pool noodles (because, let's be honest, Chicago winters are the real storms here).

Though generally associated with the central United States, tornadoes occasionally occur in New York City. Such events can occur with little or no warning. Tornadoes are typically caused by powerful thunderstorms, or sometimes accompany tropical storms and hurricanes.

From 5:18 pm CDT (2218 UTC) to 5:46 pm CDT (2246 UTC), an EF2 tornado traveled 13.6 miles (21.9 km) across southwestern Will County and extreme northwestern Kankakee County, near Wilmington, uprooting trees, damaging homes and destroying sheds.