Edwardsville, IL Tornado History — 165 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Edwardsville, IL had?
Edwardsville has had 165 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 16 strong to violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Edwardsville?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Edwardsville was an EF2 on May 16, 2025, causing 4 fatalities.
When is tornado season in Edwardsville?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Edwardsville, with 36 on record. April through June account for 95 of the 165 tornadoes on record near Edwardsville.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Edwardsville
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 62 total, averaging 3.1 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Edwardsville 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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.
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)
Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from Mount Olive. Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from Mount Olive. Downed trees and power lines across Mount Olive at East (LSX)
Brief weak EF0 tornado knocked down power poles and damaged a solar farm. (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 Edwardsville. Quoted text is the report narrative exactly as filed. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
What storm spotters reported near Edwardsville
2 local storm reports have been filed within 25 miles of Edwardsville and since confirmed into the NOAA archive, the earliest on April 2, 2025 and the most recent on May 16, 2025. They are already counted in the Edwardsville 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)
*** 1 INJ *** NWS survey team found that an EF-2 tornado formed in southwestern Bond County and generally tracked along I-70 northeastward into Fayette County. (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 Edwardsville
47 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Edwardsville since 1950, across 10 events. 811 injuries have been reported across all events. 1959 was the deadliest year on record near Edwardsville.
The deadliest single event was an F4 on February 10, 1959, which caused 21 fatalities along a 23.9-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Edwardsville
What the record shows near Edwardsville
The 2000s were the busiest decade near Edwardsville, with 39 of the 165 confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles; the 2020s have produced 25 so far. The Edwardsville record runs from the 1950s to today.
Of the tornadoes rated near Edwardsville, 117 reached EF0 or EF1 and 46 reached EF2 or stronger. The most intense on record near Edwardsville is rated EF4, of which 5 are logged. A further 2 near Edwardsville are unrated — events NOAA logged before a damage survey assigned a scale.
Across the last 20 years Edwardsville has averaged 3.1 confirmed tornadoes a year within 25 miles, 62 in total. 2024 was the busiest of them with 10, and 3 of those years passed with none at all.