Illinois Is The New Hot Spot In The Country For Tornadoes

It has been a very active spring for storms across the country.  From January 1 through April 30, a total of 710 tornadoes were reported.  In that same time in 2024, only 539 tornadoes were spawned from spring storms.

While spring storm season might be winding down, there are still plenty of chances that twisters will hit.  And if they do, will the new tornado alley, including Illinois, be in the crosshairs?

Storm Chances For The Rest Of Spring

"Tornado season" typically runs from March through July.  But as weather patterns change, we've seen tornadoes happen in late fall or even the rare winter tornado.

While the 2 week forecast doesn't have any major storms predicted it doesn't take much to change a storm from some sprinkles, to some thunder, to being able to produce tornadoes.

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With early summer-like temps then falling back to normal spring temps, the next few days in the Quad Cities could see some storm action.

There is the potential for thunderstorms Thursday afternoon into the early evening, but confidence is low that they will occur. A few of these storms could be severe east of Independence to the Quad Cities, to the Macomb, Illinois, line.

Tornadoes Are Shifting South and East

In the map below from AccuWeather, you can see where the storms have shifted so far this spring.  Hot spots like Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa had a large decrease, while Texas, Missouri, Illinois, and Mississippi have shot up with the amount.

The pattern looks random, but it does make sense.  It's actually like you can see the storm lines that were built from Texas and worked their way up and over.  This coincides with the current "La Nina" weather pattern we are in.

As the pattern shifts, these tornadoes could end up back in the plains. But for now, Illinois needs to be sure they have its eyes and ears open for severe weather.