Tornado History

Cook Tornado History

This county-level tornado history page focuses on Cook, Illinois. The records below identify 85 tornadoes from 1954 through 2025, including a highest listed rating of F4 (Devastating damage). NOAA damage estimates in this group total at least $118.3M, with 39 deaths and 771 injuries recorded across the listed events.

Key Tornado Statistics

Total Tornadoes85
Total Deaths39
Total Injuries771
Property Damage$118.3M
Avg Length2.9 mi
Avg Width141 yd

Key Tornado Facts for Cook, Illinois

Top local patterns from the historical tornado records in this group.

Average 1.2 tornadoes per year (3.3/yr in last decade)
July is the peak tornado month with 23 recorded events
Deadliest tornado: F4 in Cook, Illinois with 33 deaths
2024 was the most active year with 17 tornadoes
The 2020s had the most tornado activity (30 events)
Longest tornado: 21.9 miles in Cook, Illinois
Widest tornado: 1,760.0 yards in Cook, Illinois
Most tornadoes in one day: 11 on Jul 15, 2024

Monthly Distribution

Shows tornado frequency across months of the year, highlighting seasonal patterns and peak tornado periods.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Summary: In Cook, Illinois, July is the most active month with 23 tornadoes.

Annual Tornado Trend

Shows year-by-year tornado counts, making active years and quiet stretches easier to spot.

171260

Summary: 2024 was the most active year with 17 recorded tornadoes.

Tornado Intensity Distribution

Shows the breakdown of tornadoes by EF/F rating.

F0
EF0
F1
EF1
F2
EF2
F3
EF3
F4
Unknown

Summary: EF0 tornadoes are the most common in this group, with 26 recorded events.

Property Damage Trends

Visualizes reported property damage over time. Bars use a log-like scale so very large damage years do not flatten the rest of the chart.

$25.3M$2.5M$253K$0

Summary: The highest reported property damage year in this group is 1965 with at least $25.3M in NOAA-listed property damage.

Historical Track Sketch

F4 April 21, 19671967F4 June 13, 19761976F3 March 27, 19911991EF3 June 20, 20212021F2 March 4, 19611961F2 November 12, 19651965EF2 June 7, 20082008F2 August 25, 19721972F2 March 12, 19761976F2 August 23, 19561956F2 June 23, 19621962F2 May 26, 19651965F2 June 17, 19751975F2 May 26, 19651965F2 April 30, 1970F2 April 21, 1973F2 June 9, 1966F2 June 9, 1966EF2 July 15, 2024F1 July 14, 1972EF1 June 7, 2008F1 May 26, 1955F1 April 2, 1956F1 September 26, 1959F1 April 18, 1978F1 July 4, 1985F1 September 29, 1986EF1 June 23, 2010EF1 June 21, 2011F1 October 10, 1954F1 August 30, 1958F1 September 21, 1959F1 April 21, 1967F1 June 19, 1972F1 April 21, 1973F1 September 7, 1977F1 May 29, 1983F1 August 26, 1965EF1 August 10, 2020EF1 August 10, 2020EF1 July 12, 2023EF1 July 12, 2023EF1 July 15, 2024EF1 July 15, 2024EF1 July 15, 2024EF1 July 15, 2024EF1 February 27, 2024EF1 February 27, 2024EF0 May 16, 2007EF0 August 4, 2008F0 September 22, 1980EF0 June 15, 2011EF0 June 7, 2008EF0 May 26, 2015EF0 September 3, 2018F0 May 29, 1983F0 June 9, 1966F0 June 16, 1973F0 July 14, 1974F0 May 5, 1991F0 May 30, 2003F0 September 22, 2006EF0 August 9, 2016EF0 May 27, 2019EF0 August 10, 2020EF0 June 13, 2022EF0 June 13, 2022EF0 July 12, 2023EF0 July 12, 2023EF0 July 12, 2023EF0 July 12, 2023EF0 July 14, 2024EF0 July 14, 2024EF0 July 14, 2024EF0 July 15, 2024EF0 July 15, 2024EF0 July 15, 2024EF0 July 15, 2024EF0 July 15, 2024EF0 July 15, 2024© OpenStreetMap contributors
This map covers the wider location—not your exact property.Measure the closest recorded track to a street address in or near Cook, Illinois.
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Notable Tornado Records

The table highlights the strongest and most damaging records in this page's local dataset. Damage totals are NOAA-reported minimum estimates where available.

DateRatingAreaLengthWidthDeathsInjuriesMin. property damage
April 21, 1967F4Cook, Illinois15 mi200 yd33500$25.0M
June 13, 1976F4Cook, Illinois3.3 mi1760 yd223$2.5M
March 27, 1991F3Cook, Illinois9.2 mi200 yd07$25.0M
June 20, 2021EF3Cook, Illinois2.8 mi600 yd00N/A
March 4, 1961F2Cook, Illinois7.9 mi100 yd1115$25.0M
November 12, 1965F2Cook, Illinois0 mi120 yd00$25.0M
June 7, 2008EF2Cook, Illinois4.1 mi150 yd00$4.0M
March 12, 1976F2Cook, Illinois15.1 mi150 yd241$2.5M
August 25, 1972F2Cook, Illinois1.8 mi200 yd01$2.5M
August 23, 1956F2Cook, Illinois0 mi40 yd03$250K
June 23, 1962F2Cook, Illinois0.5 mi100 yd010$250K
May 26, 1965F2Cook, Illinois0 mi70 yd00$250K
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Source And Limits

Data sourced from NOAA Storm Prediction Center and the NCEI Storm Events Database. TornadoTrace summarizes reported weather events for screening and research; it is not a damage assessment, inspection, or insurance determination. Coordinates and records can be approximate, incomplete, revised, or missing. No warranty of completeness or accuracy.

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