Charleston, IL Tornado History — 93 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Charleston, IL had?
Charleston has had 93 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 4 strong to violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Charleston?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Charleston was an EF0 on December 28, 2025.
When is tornado season in Charleston?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Charleston, with 24 on record. April through June account for 58 of the 93 tornadoes on record near Charleston.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Charleston
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 23 total, averaging 1.1 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Charleston since December 29, 2025
These are 4 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
EF-0... max winds 80 mph... path length 6.36 miles... path width 350 yards. The tornado began about 1 mile southeast of Bradbury near County Road 1350. It tracked north (ILX)
A tornado touched down east of Mattoon and tracked ESE into the northwest side Charleston. (ILX)
The tornado touched down about 2 miles southwest of Tuscola where it snapped off several large trees along N County Rd 800 E. It moved northeast into Tuscola where it c (ILX)
Corrects previous tornado report from 2 WSW Tuscola... adjusting the time back one hour. The tornado touched down about 2 miles southwest of Tuscola where it snapped of (ILX)
Within 25 miles of Charleston. Quoted text is the report narrative exactly as filed. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
What storm spotters reported near Charleston
4 local storm reports have been filed within 25 miles of Charleston and since confirmed into the NOAA archive, the earliest on April 2, 2025 and the most recent on December 28, 2025. They are already counted in the Charleston totals above; quoted below is the narrative each reporting office filed at the time.
Brief touchdown east of Redmon. Public reported damage to an outbuilding. (ILX)
Video evidence of a tornado touching down briefly. No damage noted. Rating of EF-U. (ILX)
Picture evidence of a tornado touching down. No damage reported. (ILX)
The tornado produced mainly EF-0 and EF-1 damage... but had periods of EF-2 damage (115 mph peak wind) where it snapped over 20 power poles and snapped numerous large t (ILX)
Source: National Weather Service and trained-spotter local storm reports, relayed by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Charleston
6 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Charleston since 1950, across 1 event. 151 injuries have been reported across all events. 1977 was the deadliest year on record near Charleston.
The deadliest single event was an F3 on August 21, 1977, which caused 6 fatalities along a 26.9-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Charleston
What the record shows near Charleston
The 1990s were the busiest decade near Charleston, with 20 of the 93 confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles; the 2020s have produced 14 so far. The Charleston record runs from the 1950s to today.
Of the tornadoes rated near Charleston, 74 reached EF0 or EF1 and 17 reached EF2 or stronger. The most intense on record near Charleston is rated EF3, of which 4 are logged. A further 2 near Charleston are unrated — events NOAA logged before a damage survey assigned a scale.
Across the last 20 years Charleston has averaged 1.1 confirmed tornadoes a year within 25 miles, 23 in total. 2025 was the busiest of them with 10, and 11 of those years passed with none at all.