Illinois Leads US With Almost Double Tornado Reports

Illinois is overachieving in the one category no state wants to lead in. No other state even comes close to the number of tornado reports that Illinois already has in 2026 so far.

Kudos to AccuWeather for the catch on this one. They were looking at NOAA's Storm Prediction Center data for 2026 and Illinois is off-the-charts when it comes to tornado reports.

It's not easy to count all of those dots. Trust me and don't ask how I know. According to AccuWeather, Illinois already has 80 tornado reports in 2026 and there isn't even a close second. The only other state remotely close is Mississippi with 43 tornado reports.

Illinois also is overachieving when it comes to wind and hail reports topping all other states in both categories. Illinois has always had its fair share of severe storms, but why the sudden uptick in twisters this year?

Many believe that Tornado Alley has shifted east and now includes Illinois

Kankakee, Illinois suffered one of the most violent tornado impacts of the year so far when an EF-3 rated twister with 150 mph maximum winds did unbelievable damage. The terrifying reality is severe storm season isn't close to over with more explosive storms possible later this week. The fact that Illinois is now tops in America for tornado reports is likely the new normal. Tornado alley is now us.