Johnsburg, IL tornado history
12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Johnsburg, IL from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 421st of 441 Illinois cities with a tornado on record. 2 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on August 9, 2021 (EF1, 0.4-mile path); the strongest, on April 21, 1967, was rated F4. The deadliest, on April 21, 1967, killed 24 along its path.
Dashed circle: 10 miles from the city's Census center point. A tornado counts when its recorded path passes inside the circle. Paths run straight from start to end point, as SPC records them.
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Every tornado within 10 miles of the center of Johnsburg, IL
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2021 | EF1 | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 | McHenry County, IL | 1.9 mi |
| Aug 10, 2020 | EF1 | 6.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Lake County, IL → WI | 7.0 mi |
| Aug 2, 2015 | EF1 | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Lake County, IL | 8.0 mi |
| Aug 24, 2004 | F0 | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 | McHenry County, IL | 5.2 mi |
| Jul 5, 1993 | F1 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Walworth County, WI | 9.6 mi |
| Jun 28, 1990 | F1 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Lake County, IL | 7.8 mi |
| Jul 6, 1986 | F0 | 12.0 mi | 0 / 0 | McHenry County, IL | 6.2 mi |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 25.5 mi | 24 / 450 | Boone County, IL | 9.7 mi |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 9.1 mi | 6 / 75 | McHenry County, IL | 7.9 mi |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F2 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | McHenry County, IL | 6.4 mi |
| Oct 8, 1959 | F2 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 1 | McHenry County, IL | 3.8 mi |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 81.0 mi | 1 / 0 | Stephenson County, IL | 0.4 mi |
More: McHenry County tornadoes · Illinois tornado history · Johnsburg hail history · Illinois damaging wind
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Severe Weather Database (SVRGIS) tornado file, 1950–2025, and SPC preliminary storm reports for 2026 (data through November 6, 2026). Ratings are the ones the National Weather Service assigned: Fujita (F) scale before Feb 1, 2007, Enhanced Fujita (EF) after. Paths are drawn as straight lines from the start to the end point SPC records; real paths curve. City and county boundaries: US Census Bureau.
NWS Damage Survey Paths Near Johnsburg
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 3 tornadoes within 10 miles of Johnsburg in damage surveys (1 EF4, 2 EF1). On the map, those paths follow the survey, colored by the EF rating of each stretch, instead of a straight line from start to end.
| Date | Rating | Peak wind | Path length | Max width | Deaths / injuries | On the ground | Surveyed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2021 | EF1 | 90 mph | 0.4 mi | 70 yd | 0 / 0 | 21:45–21:46 UTC | NWS Chicago |
| Aug 10, 2020 | EF1 | 90 mph | 6.3 mi | 150 yd | 0 / 0 | 20:41–20:50 UTC | NWS LOT, |
| Apr 21, 1967 | EF4 | – | 26.3 mi | 800 yd | 24 / 500 | 21:45–22:20 UTC | NWS Chicago |
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT): the tornado paths and EF-rating zones NWS survey teams mapped after each storm. Survey data are preliminary and can be revised; NOAA's official record is Storm Data (NCEI). Paths are simplified to about 30 m. Times are when the tornado was on the ground, in UTC.