Chicago metro has experienced multiple significant tornado events including the 1967 Belvidere/Oak Lawn F4 outbreak that killed 58 and the 1990 Plainfield F5 that killed 29 - the first F5 detected by Doppler radar.
1967 April 21 Belvidere/Oak Lawn F4 - 58 killed across Illinois
1990 August 28 Plainfield F5 - 29 killed, first Doppler-detected F5
2015 April 9 Rochelle-Fairdale EF4 - 2 killed, chaser-documented
Multiple smaller events across the metro annually
Ohio Valley outbreak corridor
Cold fronts frequently traverse Illinois
Gulf moisture reaches the state during peak season
Historical outbreak positioning
Western suburbs - higher tornado density
Southern suburbs - Plainfield 1990 event
Northern Illinois - Rochelle-Fairdale corridor
Downtown - very rare direct tornadoes
NOAA weather radio recommended
Basement standard tornado shelter (common in Illinois)
Family plan and drill
Understand outbreak potential during April-June
→ Simulate a tornado on our map