‘Not a record we want to break’: Illinois on track for most twisters ever in 2026

Feel like you’ve spent more time than ever before this year picking up branches, enduring sirens and scanning the sky for a greenish tinge?

It’s not your imagination, meteorologists say, as Illinois is heading toward a record year for tornadoes.

Recent twister activity in the suburbs contributed to the 140 confirmed tornadoes so far in 2026, Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford said.

The all-time state record is 142, set in 2024.

“By this time in 2024, we had about 87 tornadoes. It (2026) has been a remarkably active year,” Ford said.

Despite seeming inevitable, “it’s not a record we want to break,” he added.

New confirmations could emerge at any time as the National Weather Service assesses reports from June 11, when at least 21 tornadoes smacked Illinois, battering Bartlett and touching down in Naperville and Lisle.

“Illinois is absolutely outracing everybody,” AccuWeather meteorologist Peyton Simmers said, adding the next closest state is Mississippi with 82 preliminary tornado reports.

Midwestern neighbors Missouri and Iowa have also seen heightened activity, Simmers said. Meanwhile, frequently menaced Texas and Oklahoma “are well below average this year,” he said.

Records from the National Weather Service’s Chicago forecast area, which includes 23 Illinois and Indiana counties, show 47 tornadoes in the region so far in 2026.

That’s compared to 25 for the entirety of 2025.

“It’s been pretty busy,” NWS meteorologist David King said.

“The interesting thing about this year is that it was a very quiet May,” he added. “Right now in June, the atmosphere is much more active — we’re talking about waves and perturbations that technically orbit the planet and send weather systems our way.

“In May, we had a much more stagnant weather pattern where things were kind of blocked, and the atmosphere wasn’t moving as much. Now everything’s more free to move around.”

Over the last four years, Illinois experienced at least 100 twisters annually, Ford noted.

“Prior to that time, our average was around 50 to 60 tornadoes,” he said.

In 2026, the mixture of an active jet stream in the upper atmosphere reacting to lower atmosphere dynamics is producing wind shear “that is a really important ingredient for a tornado,” Ford added.

At the same time, weather activity in the Gulf of Mexico is sending humidity to Illinois, which has contributed to the greater potential for tornadoes.

July typically signals the end of peak tornado season, but the outlook is wetter than average, suggesting more storms, Ford advised.

“It’s a good reminder folks should be weather-aware,” he said.

Scientists studying long-term trends have seen a small increase in the frequency of tornadoes in Illinois over the last 50 years, Ford said. “Our model suggests this is due to a warming world.”

The recent spike, however, is not the new normal, he said.

“That’s not how climate change works. There’s a different pattern in play here.”

If you’re at home when a tornado warning is issued, experts advise staying away from windows and taking shelter in the basement. If you don’t have a basement, go to the lowest floor and wait out the storm in an interior room in the center of the house.

“Keep as many walls as you can between you and the outside,” King recommended.