McDonough County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for McDonough County, IL right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 788 alerts that included McDonough County, roughly 79 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (136 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on June 11, 2026. 44 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 McDonough County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Fulton County, Schuyler County, Warren County, Henderson County.
McDonough County alert history
Alert events that included McDonough County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 136 | 18 | August 15, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 93 | 5 | September 11, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 75 | 3 | March 16, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 60 | 5 | April 2, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 56 | 6 | August 31, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 56 | 5 | August 13, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 48 | 7 | August 13, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 32 | 3 | January 26, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 31 | 7 | August 15, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 28 | 10 | June 17, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 26 | 3 | August 15, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 25 | 3 | June 11, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 20 | 1 | April 20, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 15 | 2 | February 27, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 15 | 0 | November 29, 2025 |
| Frost Advisory | 13 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 13 | 0 | November 29, 2025 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 12 | 3 | September 2, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 7 | 2 | July 27, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 7 | 0 | October 16, 2024 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 6 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 4 | 0 | March 5, 2025 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 4 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 2 | 0 | November 27, 2019 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 2 | 1 | February 27, 2026 |
| Blizzard Warning | 1 | 0 | November 25, 2018 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 1 | 0 | February 5, 2019 |
Tornado history in McDonough County
44 tornadoes have been recorded in McDonough County since 1950, injuring 24 people. That ranks 26 of 102 counties in Illinois. The most recent was on April 20, 2025 (rated EF1).
Strongest tornadoes in McDonough County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 1961 | F3 | Pike County | 127.1 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 8 |
| April 21, 1964 | F3 | McDonough County | 14.1 mi | 17 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 1957 | F3 | McDonough County | 13.7 mi | 120 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 10, 2003 | F2 | Adams County | 69.2 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 4 |
| April 13, 1974 | F2 | Hancock County | 19.5 mi | 500 yd | 0 | 10 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 20, 2025 | EF1 | McDonough County | 3 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| April 20, 2025 | EF1 | McDonough County | 7 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 13, 2024 | ? | McDonough County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 13, 2024 | ? | McDonough County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 19, 2024 | ? | McDonough County | 0.6 mi | 20 yd | 0 | 0 |
About McDonough County
- Population: 26,662 (2024 estimate)
- State: Illinois
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 017109 (how to use it)