It’s Official – Illinois is Now the Tornado Capital of America

It's really not unusual for Illinois to have a lot of tornadoes, but it's not typical for the Land of Lincoln to have more than any other state, but that's exactly what has happened in 2023.

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I mentioned back in July that Illinois was on pace to have more tornadoes than just about any other state and as of the middle of November, there's not even a close second when it comes to confirmed tornadoes for 2023. A storm chaser shared this graphic telling the story on his Facebook page today.

It's true that 2023 isn't over yet and more severe weather is possible, but you can be sure that Illinois will finish the year with more confirmed tornadoes than even Texas and Oklahoma who are famous for twisters.

Why is Illinois suddenly having so many tornadoes?

The theory is that tornado alley is moving eastward from the typical hot spots like Kansas and Oklahoma to now cover most of Missouri and Illinois. That is certainly the trend and many meteorologists and climate prediction people believe it's true.

Perhaps this is the new normal we'll have to adjust to. Illinois and Missouri always have had their fair share of twisters. Moving forward, that will be the rule and not the exception.