Illinois #1 for Tornadoes? Texas May Have Something to Say

Just because someone on the internet says something does not necessarily make it true including what you're reading now. Storm chasers are claiming that Illinois is now tops for tornadoes in 2025, but there are numbers that show Texas might disagree with that conclusion.

My wife (the meteorologist) passed along an interesting share by Storm Chaser Adam Lucio. The map he shared shows Illinois is tops for twisters this year.

Since I am never one to accept anything I see at face value, I looked at what NOAA's Storm Prediction Center had to say and their numbers are different than what Adam shared. They show Illinois has a grand total of 132 confirmed tornadoes this year.

If you look at the total for Texas, you'll see the Lone Star State clocks in with 145 confirmed tornadoes.

This is not to say that the storm chaser is trying to mislead anyone. I'm not sure what date or source Adam compiled his numbers from, but as of the date of this writing, Texas is still #1 for tornadoes in 2025. All that being said, Illinois has seen a huge jump in tornadic storms this year and the numbers prove that's a sad fact. Tornado Alley does appear to be moving eastward from Oklahoma and Kansas to include more of Missouri and Illinois now. If you don't already, Adam is a must-follow on Facebook as he does share some great content even if our math doesn't always agree with his.