Lee County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Lee County, IL right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 924 alerts that included Lee County, roughly 92 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (142 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on August 10, 2026. 40 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Lee County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring DeKalb County, LaSalle County, Ogle County, Bureau County.
Lee County alert history
Alert events that included Lee County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 142 | 23 | August 21, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 109 | 8 | September 10, 2026 |
| Flood Advisory | 104 | 10 | September 20, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 95 | 1 | March 16, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 80 | 11 | August 21, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 62 | 6 | June 17, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 51 | 12 | October 1, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 35 | 3 | January 26, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 27 | 5 | September 21, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 25 | 5 | June 11, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 24 | 2 | October 17, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 21 | 3 | May 7, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 21 | 5 | September 4, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 17 | 4 | August 10, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 17 | 1 | March 16, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 17 | 1 | March 16, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 13 | 4 | September 20, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 10 | 1 | April 20, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 9 | 1 | February 18, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 8 | 1 | March 13, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 7 | 2 | July 27, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 6 | 0 | July 23, 2025 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 6 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 6 | 1 | February 18, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 5 | 0 | March 15, 2025 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | February 12, 2019 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 2 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 2 | 0 | February 19, 2022 |
| Blizzard Warning | 1 | 1 | March 16, 2026 |
Tornado history in Lee County
40 tornadoes have been recorded in Lee County since 1950, killing 3 people and injuring 28. That ranks 29 of 102 counties in Illinois. The most recent was on February 27, 2024 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Lee County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 9, 2015 | EF4 | Lee County | 30.1 mi | 700 yd | 2 | 11 |
| April 6, 1972 | F2 | Ogle County | 17.5 mi | 50 yd | 1 | 9 |
| August 15, 1958 | F2 | Lee County | 74.5 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| March 31, 2023 | EF2 | Lee County | 9.3 mi | 350 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 22, 2015 | EF2 | Lee County | 7.8 mi | 880 yd | 0 | 7 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 27, 2024 | EF0 | Lee County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 14, 2023 | ? | Lee County | 0.3 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| March 31, 2023 | EF1 | Lee County | 7.8 mi | 75 yd | 0 | 0 |
| March 31, 2023 | EF2 | Lee County | 9.3 mi | 350 yd | 0 | 0 |
| March 31, 2023 | EF1 | Bureau County | 13.9 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Lee County
- Population: 33,544 (2024 estimate)
- State: Illinois
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 017103 (how to use it)