By Tom Emery

March is Severe Weather Preparedness Month and in Illinois, that takes on added importance. The state has more than its share of twisters.

The National Weather Service and the Illinois State Climatologist’s Office report that the Land of Lincoln ranked sixth in the annual average of tornadoes from 1991-2017, with 54 per year. That figure trailed only Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Florida.

The number of Illinois tornadoes has actually increased over the last three decades. From 1980-89, the state endured an average of 22.4 twisters a year – less than half the numbe...