Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin: Who Leads Nation in Tornadoes in 2026?

With spring comes severe weather of all kinds, including, but not limited to, tornadoes, high winds, thunderstorms, hail, and even the occasional snowfall. It's been a rainy couple of weeks in the Tri-States, and that's included a couple different Tornado Watches and other bouts of severe weather.

That said, one state amongst us — between Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin — currently leads the country in tornadoes, as of this writing (April 10th). Per WIFR, historically speaking, 60% of tornadoes occur in April, May, and June, amidst the onset of spring, the changing seasons, and the time of year where erratic weather patterns happen regularly. I call this time of year, "jacket in the morning, air conditioning in the evening" weather.

READ MORE: Le Grand, IA Gas Station Awning Collapses on Truck

At present, Illinois leads the nation in tornadoes with 54 to start 2026. This is according to the National Weather Service (NWS). More shockingly, however, Illinois' yearly average for tornadoes is 62, so the Land of Lincoln is precariously close to exceeding the average number of tornadoes for the calendar year.

There have been tornadoes in Lee and Ogle Counties, as well as 13 tornadoes in the Quad Cities, Chicago, and central Illinois over the course of the year.

Meanwhile, preliminary NWS data reveals there have been just under 300 tornadoes in 2026 (currently 297). Right now, there's the potential the state of Iowa could be rocked by some more severe weather next week, as showers are looking to persist through the weekend (April 11th - 12th) with the potential for some elevated activity on Monday, April 13th, per KWWL.

Read more about Illinois leading the nation in tornadoes as of April 2026 on WIFR's website.