Fairview Heights, IL Tornado History — 179 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Fairview Heights, IL had?
Fairview Heights has had 179 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 20 strong to violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Fairview Heights?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Fairview Heights was an EF2 on May 16, 2025, causing 4 fatalities.
When is tornado season in Fairview Heights?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Fairview Heights, with 51 on record. April through June account for 109 of the 179 tornadoes on record near Fairview Heights.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Fairview Heights
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 65 total, averaging 3.3 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Fairview Heights since December 29, 2025
These are 9 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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)
Large trees down... street signs blown down. (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)
Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 1 NE New Athens. News footage shows power poles and large tree limbs snapped. Time estimated from radar. (LSX)
Storm survey confirmed a brief EF-1 tornado with maximum estimated winds of 94 mph... based on analysis of damage to trees and outbuildings. Total path length of 2.6 mi (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 Fairview Heights. Quoted text is the report narrative exactly as filed. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
What storm spotters reported near Fairview Heights
3 local storm reports have been filed within 25 miles of Fairview Heights and since confirmed into the NOAA archive, the earliest on April 18, 2025 and the most recent on May 16, 2025. They are already counted in the Fairview Heights 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)
Damage survey crews confirmed what was likely an EF0 tornado just north of the community of St. Libory... IL. Damage indicators were very sparse... and largely limited (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 Fairview Heights
52 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Fairview Heights since 1950, across 12 events. 876 injuries have been reported across all events. 1959 was the deadliest year on record near Fairview Heights.
The deadliest single event was an F4 on February 10, 1959, which caused 21 fatalities along a 23.9-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Fairview Heights
What the record shows near Fairview Heights
The 2020s are the busiest decade on record so far near Fairview Heights, with 33 of the 179 confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles. The Fairview Heights record runs from the 1950s to today.
Of the tornadoes rated near Fairview Heights, 123 reached EF0 or EF1 and 53 reached EF2 or stronger. The most intense on record near Fairview Heights is rated EF4, of which 5 are logged. A further 3 near Fairview Heights are unrated — events NOAA logged before a damage survey assigned a scale.
Across the last 20 years Fairview Heights has averaged 3.3 confirmed tornadoes a year within 25 miles, 65 in total. 2025 was the busiest of them with 11, and 6 of those years passed with none at all.