Wheeling, IL tornado history
23 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Wheeling, IL from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 265th of 441 Illinois cities with a tornado on record. None was rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on February 27, 2024 (EF1, 0.1-mile path); the strongest, on March 12, 1976, was rated F2. The deadliest, on March 12, 1976, killed 2 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 Wheeling, IL
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2024 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 | Lake County, IL | 9.7 mi |
| Feb 27, 2024 | EF1 | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 9.3 mi |
| Jul 12, 2023 | EF0 | 3.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 8.5 mi |
| Jul 12, 2023 | EF0 | 3.4 mi | 0 / 0 | DuPage County, IL | 9.2 mi |
| Jul 12, 2023 | EF0 | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Lake County, IL | 5.2 mi |
| Jun 21, 2011 | EF1 | 2.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 3.5 mi |
| May 5, 1991 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 5.5 mi |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F2 | 15.1 mi | 2 / 66 | DuPage County, IL | 9.8 mi |
| Jun 17, 1975 | F2 | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 5.3 mi |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 4.1 mi |
| Jun 16, 1973 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 4.0 mi |
| Aug 25, 1972 | F2 | 1.8 mi | 0 / 1 | Cook County, IL | 7.8 mi |
| Jul 14, 1972 | F1 | 21.9 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 5.3 mi |
| Jun 19, 1972 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 | Cook County, IL | 3.6 mi |
| Apr 30, 1970 | F2 | 4.9 mi | 0 / 9 | Cook County, IL | 7.6 mi |
| Jun 8, 1966 | F2 | 2.5 mi | 1 / 30 | Cook County, IL | 2.1 mi |
| Jun 8, 1966 | F2 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 5.5 mi |
| Jun 8, 1966 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 5.5 mi |
| May 26, 1965 | F2 | 13.8 mi | 0 / 11 | DuPage County, IL | 9.2 mi |
| Sep 26, 1959 | F1 | 12.1 mi | 0 / 14 | Cook County, IL | 3.7 mi |
| Sep 26, 1959 | F2 | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 | DuPage County, IL | 8.9 mi |
| Sep 21, 1959 | F1 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 8.9 mi |
| May 26, 1959 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Cook County, IL | 9.3 mi |
More: Cook County tornadoes · Illinois tornado history · Wheeling 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 Wheeling
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 7 tornadoes within 10 miles of Wheeling in damage surveys (3 EF1, 4 EF0). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2024 | EF0 | 85 mph | 3.9 mi | 300 yd | 0 / 0 | 01:29–01:35 UTC | NWS Chicago |
| Feb 27, 2024 | EF1 | 90 mph | 2.6 mi | 110 yd | 0 / 0 | 01:32–01:35 UTC | NWS Chicago |
| Feb 27, 2024 | EF1 | 100 mph | 0.1 mi | 40 yd | 0 / 1 | 01:55–01:56 UTC | NWS Chicago |
| Feb 27, 2024 | EF1 | 95 mph | 2.6 mi | 160 yd | 0 / 0 | 01:34–01:37 UTC | NWS Chicago |
| Jul 12, 2023 | EF0 | 70 mph | 2.1 mi | 125 yd | 0 / 0 | 23:52–23:56 UTC | NWS Chicago |
| Jul 12, 2023 | EF0 | 85 mph | 3.5 mi | 225 yd | 0 / 0 | 23:54–00:00 UTC | NWS Chicago |
| Jul 12, 2023 | EF0 | 85 mph | 3.5 mi | 300 yd | 0 / 0 | 00:02–00:07 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.