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The state of Illinois recorded the most tornado reports in the U.S. with 121, so far, in 2026. The rest of the Tornado Alley region had not been as active. AccuWeather's Anna Azallion explains why.
Transcript
00:00Illinois has the most tornado reports in America this year. Not Texas, not Oklahoma, Illinois.
00:06Through the end of May, Illinois has logged 121 tornado reports, nearly 40 more than second-place
00:11Mississippi. What's even stranger? Illinois only had one reported tornado in May. And Illinois isn't
00:17alone. Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, and Wisconsin are all running above their historical averages
00:21this year, while Texas, Kansas, and Tennessee are lagging behind. Now, the reason goes back to March
00:26in April when the jet stream spent more time over the Midwest instead of the traditional Tornado
00:31Alley states. That helped fuel major tornado outbreaks across Illinois, while parts of Tornado Alley
00:36stayed unusually quiet. So if you think tornado season only happens in Tornado Alley,
00:412026 is proving otherwise.
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