Winter tornadoes still rare in Illinois

Illinois was one of the states affected by the Dec. 10 severe weather, with multiple tornadoes and resulting fatalities. Tornadoes are not as common in winter as they are in the spring, but December is the fourth deadliest month in Illinois for the severe weather events, said Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Illinois State Water Survey.

Severe thunderstorms developed in the late afternoon, evening, and night of Dec. 10, resulting in strong tornadoes in Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm Predictio...