Illinois leading U.S. in tornadoes with 140 so far in 2026
Thursday night's tornado outbreak in the Chicago area continues a concerning trend of increasing tornado frequency in the Upper Midwest.
With 140 tornadoes so far this year, Illinois leads the nation in tornado count for the third of the last four years. In a distant second place is Mississippi with 82 tornadoes this year, and Missouri comes in third with 62.
It's the fourth year in a row that Illinois has surpassed 100 tornadoes. Illinois averages only 54 tornadoes per year, according to the Illinois State Climatologist's Office.
As CBS News Chicago reported in February, we may be witnessing what climate researchers have long expected in a warming climate. As human activities add greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, a warmer climate is making the traditional Tornado Alley in the Plains hotter and more arid. This change shifts the more favorable tornado ingredients eastward into the Midwest and Deep South, and leads to more tornadoes in Illinois.
Thursday's tornado outbreak comes during the typical peak of tornado activity in Illinois. Tornado frequency typically peaks between April and June in the Chicago area. It follows a very unusual early-season tornado outbreak on March 10 that brought a deadly EF-3 tornado to Kankakee and Newton counties.
