Mattoon Weather

The Mattoon-Charleston area's historical tornado activity is slightly above the average in Illinois.

On 3/20/1976, a category 4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 31.8 miles away from the Mattoon city center injured 18 people and caused between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages.

On 7/11/1958, a category 3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 11.0 miles away from the city center injured 3 people and caused between $5000 and $50,000 in damages.

More tornado facts:

The deadliest tornado ever was the 'Tri-State' tornado that passed through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana on March 18, 1925. During 3½ hours this tornado killed 695 people over a distance of 219 miles.

There are approximately 750 tornadoes annually in the US and they are measured and rated using the Fujita scale.

The average life-span of a tornado is approximately 15 minutes. It is, however, possible to last much longer. In 1917 (May 26) the Mattoon-Charleston Tornado lasted 7 1/2 hours while travelling 293 miles.

Tornadoes can and will travel in any direction, however, the majority of tornadoes travel from south-west to north-east.

Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, although there usually is a peak in the Tornado Alley, the flat stretch of land from West Texas to North Dakota, during May and June.

The inside of the funnel contains extremely low pressure equal to the pressure difference between ground level and an altitude of 4,900 feet, causing the huge suction power.

A bridge is not a safe place to seek shelter from a tornado! Generally the confined space will increase the overall wind speed. If you you should be caught out in the open by a tornado with no nearby buildings to shelter in, lie in a ditch or the lowest possible area and protect your head and neck with your arms.

Tornadoes are transparent and appear so also in the early stages of development, but color is added when dust and debris are picked up.

Only 2% of tornadoes are classed as violent (F4 and F5), but these account for 70% of all tornado deaths. 70% of all tornadoes are weak (F0 and F1), and account for less than 5% of all tornado deaths.

50% of all fatalities from tornadoes occur amongst residents of mobile homes.

Mattoon-area's historical earthquake activity is near Illinois state average. It is 79% smaller than the overall U.S. average.