East Saint Louis, IL Tornado History — 183 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has East Saint Louis, IL had?
East Saint Louis has had 183 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 17 strong to violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near East Saint Louis?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of East Saint Louis was an EF1 on June 4, 2025.
When is tornado season in East Saint Louis?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near East Saint Louis, with 51 on record. April through June account for 121 of the 183 tornadoes on record near East Saint Louis.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near East Saint Louis
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 72 total, averaging 3.6 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near East Saint Louis since December 29, 2025
These are 6 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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.
Video footage reveals that a waterspout... possibly landspout... tornado briefly touched down at Moredock Lake... but caused no damage. (LSX)
Damage photos provided by broadcast media revealed EF-0 tree damage along Warson Woods drive. This aligns well with radar indicated rotation and a video of a very low.. (LSX)
NWS Damage Survey found that an EF1 tornado formed along IL Highway 4 north of Interstate 64... moving northeastward... dissipating southeast of Trenton. (LSX)
A video from Alton showed the vortex of a waterspout tornado dissipating as it approached the Lincoln Shields Recreation Area. A NWS damage survey was unable to find an (LSX)
NWS Damage Survey found that a brief EF0 tornado impacted a farm near IL Highway 4 and Interstate 70. (LSX)
*** 1 INJ *** Survey crews confirmed a brief EF-1 tornado that did damage within the communities of Moro and Midway... IL... early this morning along a 1.6 mile path. (LSX)
Within 25 miles of East Saint Louis. Quoted text is the report narrative exactly as filed. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
What storm spotters reported near East Saint Louis
2 local storm reports have been filed within 25 miles of East Saint Louis and since confirmed into the NOAA archive, the earliest on April 20, 2025 and the most recent on May 16, 2025. They are already counted in the East Saint Louis totals above; quoted below is the narrative each reporting office filed at the time.
*** 5 FATAL... 38 INJ *** Storm survey determined an EF3 tornado began near Clayton and tracked northeast through the city of St Louis and continued into Illinois. It d (LSX)
An NWS survey team found EF0 tornado damage near Schwab Road southeast of Millstadt... IL. This tornado briefly touched down and lifted at 8:14pm with a path length of (LSX)
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 East Saint Louis
49 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of East Saint Louis since 1950, across 11 events. 873 injuries have been reported across all events. 1959 was the deadliest year on record near East Saint Louis.
The deadliest single event was an F4 on February 10, 1959, which caused 21 fatalities along a 23.9-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near East Saint Louis
What the record shows near East Saint Louis
The 2020s are the busiest decade on record so far near East Saint Louis, with 38 of the 183 confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles. The East Saint Louis record runs from the 1950s to today.
Of the tornadoes rated near East Saint Louis, 130 reached EF0 or EF1 and 51 reached EF2 or stronger. The most intense on record near East Saint Louis is rated EF4, of which 5 are logged. A further 2 near East Saint Louis are unrated — events NOAA logged before a damage survey assigned a scale.
Across the last 20 years East Saint Louis has averaged 3.6 confirmed tornadoes a year within 25 miles, 72 in total. 2024 was the busiest of them with 11, and 6 of those years passed with none at all.