Lake Forest, IL Tornado History — 69 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Lake Forest, IL had?
Lake Forest has had 69 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 3 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Lake Forest?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Lake Forest was an EF0 on March 14, 2025.
When is tornado season in Lake Forest?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Lake Forest, with 14 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Lake Forest
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 25 total, averaging 1.3 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Lake Forest since December 29, 2025
These is a preliminary report, not confirmed tornadoes. It has not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and is 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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.
Within 25 miles of Lake Forest. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
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 Lake Forest
12 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Lake Forest since 1950, across 6 events. 450 injuries have been reported across all events. 1965 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on April 11, 1965, which caused 6 fatalities along a 9.1-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Lake Forest
About Tornadoes in Lake Forest
This overview was written July 24, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Lake Forest lies along the Lake Michigan shore in northeastern Illinois, among the wooded ravines and bluffs of Chicago's northern suburbs. It sits within the tornado-prone interior of the country, where the flat-to-rolling terrain of the Upper Midwest offers little resistance to the large weather systems that move through in the warm season.
The area's tornado risk arises from the clash of air masses that defines Midwestern spring and summer. Warm, humid air flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico meets cooler, drier air from Canada, and when a strong jet stream overhead adds wind shear, thunderstorms can organize into rotating supercells. Proximity to Lake Michigan can locally influence storm behavior, but the broad seasonal pattern still peaks from late spring into summer, when heat and moisture make the atmosphere most volatile.
Tornado strength is described using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which assigns a rating from EF0 to EF5 by surveying the damage a tornado leaves behind. Most tornadoes are relatively weak, while the strongest are rare but capable of severe destruction. For the specific record near Lake Forest — the total on file, the breakdown by decade and rating, and the deadliest, costliest, and most recent events — see the figures compiled from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center elsewhere on this page.