* Newsweek…

Illinois leads the United States in preliminary tornado reports so far this year, outpacing states that typically dominate tornado statistics such as Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi, according to AccuWeather and data from the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Storm Prediction Center.

Through the end of April, Illinois recorded 119 tornado reports—more than double the totals reported in Mississippi and Oklahoma during the same period. That figure also puts Illinois far above its own long-term average for the first four months of the year, marking an unusually active start to the 2026 severe weather season.

Meteorologists say the surge is not the result of a single outbreak, but rather a persistent pattern of storm systems that repeatedly tracked across the Midwest this spring. Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms produced repeated tornado touchdowns across central and northern Illinois, including a multiday outbreak in early April that spawned numerous confirmed twisters. […]

For decades, “Tornado Alley” referred to a relatively well-defined stretch of the central Plains, including much of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. But a growing body of research suggests that picture is changing. Studies analyzing stronger tornadoes over multiple decades have found a geographic shift in where tornadoes most frequently form, with activity declining in parts of the traditional Plains corridor and increasing farther east, particularly across the Midwest and Southeast.

Scientists say the change has been unfolding since at least the mid-20th century, challenging the long-standing idea that tornado risk is concentrated mainly in the Great Plains. […]

Meteorologists caution that tornado counts early in the season remain preliminary and subject to verification as NWS survey teams continue to assess storm damage across the region.

* AccuWeather…

For hail reports, Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa lead the top 5 so far this year. When switching to wind reports, Missouri, Illinois, Alabama, Mississippi and Indiana are the top states.

“The jet stream plays a large role in organizing severe weather in the spring,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Alexander Duffus explains. “This year, its average position through March and April has been centered more over the Midwest, bringing more tornadoes, instead of being positioned over the southern Plains.”

In 2025, the situation was different by the end of April, with Missouri in the number one position, with 91 tornado reports. Alabama had 85, with Illinois coming in third with 82 reports.