Central Illinois Tornado Climatology Updated Through 2023
Published 2024-08-06
Our county-by-county breakdown of tornado activity since 1950 has been updated to include the period through 2023.
Heavy rainfall from scattered thunderstorms is expected across the Southwest, Intermountain West, and Plains. Isolated dry thunderstorms may initiate additional fires across the west. The coastal Carolinas may experience flash floods in the coming days due to repeated thunderstorms. Additionally, a wave of intense summer heat will hit the Southern Plains and central Gulf Coast States this week. Read More >
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Our county-by-county breakdown of tornado activity since 1950 has been updated to include the period through 2023.
Monthly climate summary for central Illinois for July 2024.
Due to maintenance activities by the FAA, the observation from the Coles County Airport will be missing most elements through August 6th.
Besides extensive wind damage in parts of central Illinois the night of July 14-15, 5 tornadoes occurred in Marshall County.
Severe weather reports from Sunday night.
On July 13, 2004, an F4 strength tornado moved across Woodford County, and demolished the Parsons Manufacturing plant west of Roanoke. Despite 150 people being in the building at the time, only a few minor injuries occurred, thanks to adequate storm shelters and a formal severe weather plan.
The remnants of Hurricane Beryl passed through the mid Mississippi Valley on July 9-10, brining some much needed (and in some cases, too much) rainfall, along with strong to severe storms in parts of the lower Ohio Valley.
Climatology of Tropical Remnants Affecting Central IL
Holiday climate statistics for Peoria and Springfield show that about 2/3 of Independence Days in this area have dry weather.
Video on how to best view area hydrographs on your mobile device.
Lightning Safety Awareness Week is June 19-25.
Severe storms on June 13th produced a large area of enhanced wind damage across portions of McLean, Ford and Livingston Counties, including 5 tornadoes.
NWS Soliciting Comments on Discontinuation of Haines Index and Lightning Activity Level (LAL) from Fire Weather Forecasts
A link to the NWS Central Illinois spotter training resources page. This link includes a schedule of upcoming trainings.
Monthly climate summary for central Illinois for June 2024.
After strong thunderstorms in the morning of May 26th, the remnant outflow boundary left behind helped fire more severe weather during the afternoon and evening hours. This was focused on areas near and south of I-70 in Illinois, producing several tornadoes, straight-line wind damage, and large hail.
If you were unable to make it to our spotter training sessions, short reviews of the various topics are available on our YouTube channel. There are 7 videos that can be reviewed, with a run time around 26 minutes.
The Springfield Automated Surface Observing System is degraded due to technical issues.
The date of Mother's Day varies each year, as it is the second Sunday of May. This year, it is on May 12th.
Much of central and southeast Illinois was able to see a near total solar eclipse on April 8th, with areas roughly from I-70 southward within the area of totality.
Interested in learning about severe weather, but haven't been able to make it to any of our in-person sessions? We will be conducting a virtual storm spotter training session this Saturday, April 13th, at 10 am CDT.
On April 3, 1974, the beginning of a widespread severe weather outbreak was occurring in Illinois. Within a 24 hour period, 148 tornadoes occurred in 13 states and parts of Canada. Twelve tornadoes touched down in Illinois, and 4 of them were of F3 strength.
The date of Easter varies between March 22nd and April 25th, and is set as the first Sunday after the full moon, following the Northern Hemisphere's spring equinox. These statistics contain the specific date of Easter for each year in the climate record.
A total solar eclipse will move across North America during the afternoon of April 8th, tracking from southern Texas to northern Maine. The area of totality will track across about the southeast quarter of Illinois.
While unseasonably mild weather has spurred early growth, it is important to remember that freezing temperatures typically occur well into April over our area.
Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 10th at 2 AM. Be sure to set your clocks ahead an hour before going to bed Saturday night.
The NWS office in Lincoln is taking applications for Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Since reliable sky cover records became available in Peoria and Springfield in the 1950's, Groundhog Day sunrise has been mostly cloudy about 63% of the time.
Ever wonder what all is involved with our operations? Check out our new ArcGIS Story Map to see what we do, who works here, and more.
A list of coldest wind chill reports across central and southeast Illinois on the morning of Sunday, January 14th, 2024.
Annual climate statistics for 2023 are now available.
The winter solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees South latitude).
Typical odds of a White Christmas in our area range from 25-30% in central Illinois, and around 20% in southeast Illinois.
Temperatures averaged 1 to 3 degrees above normal for the year, while precipitation and snowfall were well below normal, especially south of I-72.
November 17th marks the 10 year anniversary of Illinois' largest November tornado outbreak on record, which included a powerful EF4 tornado which tore through Washington, IL.
Across the contiguous U.S., warning thresholds for heavy snow have been updated beginning this winter, to serve as the basis for winter storm watches and warnings.
Winter Weather Preparedness Week is November 6-10. Now is the time to refresh yourself on preparing your house and car for the winter, and how to handle ice, snow and cold.
This winter, El Nino is expected to increase the odds of a warmer than normal winter, with below normal snowfall in central Illinois.
The protective dome that covers the Lincoln Doppler radar antenna was removed on October 30th in order to replace the pedestal inside. This was the first time the dome was removed since the radar was originally installed in 1995.
Climate statistics show about 1 in 3 Halloweens will have measurable precipitation in Peoria and Springfield. However, just under 20% of years have had highs at least 70 degrees.
This year, El Nino is in place heading into winter for the first time in four years, driving the outlook for warmer-than-average temperatures for the northern tier of the continental United States.
The peak of the fall color season across central and southeast Illinois is typically in mid to late October.
Here's a look at average dates for first fall freezes in central and southeast Illinois.
JetStream Online School for Weather provides educators, emergency managers, or anyone interested in learning about weather and water with comprehensive, well-organized, colorfully illustrated curricula designed to help teach about the wonders and dangers that abound in the Earth's atmosphere.
As of August 31st, a total of 39 tornadoes have been reported in the 35 counties that make up the Lincoln NWS service area.
If your home does not have air conditioning, many communities have local facilities you can visit to get some time out of the heat.
Are you a teacher or educator looking for resources for the new school year ahead? NOAA can help you quickly find lesson plans, videos, data resources, activities, and more created by NOAA and our partners.
The summer solstice will occur this year on June 21st.
There is an increased risk of drought development over portions of the Midwest during the next few weeks.
A meteorological review of the May 7th, 2023 severe weather event across central Illinois.
Local storm reports from a system that moved through Saturday night.
The Champaign NOAA Weather Radio is back online and transmitting at full power after repairs were completed this morning, May 5, 2023.
On May 1, a dust storm from near Springfield to Effingham caused a major accident on I-55 at the Sangamon/Montgomery County line, involving several dozen vehicles.
Severe thunderstorms developed over parts of central Illinois during the afternoon into early evening hours on Friday, March 31st, 2023. 13 tornadoes were reported across our coverage area. This was part of a large, multi-state tornado outbreak.
The vernal equinox takes place at 4:24 pm CDT on Monday, March 20th.
A listing of peak wind gusts observed as of 130 PM CST Friday afternoon.
Due to some errors in the historical climate database for Peoria, adjustments are being made to the snowfall records for Peoria for February and all-time records.
A lot is made of numerical weather prediction today. How do we use it in our forecast process?
Last year, the U.S. experienced 18 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, leading to the deaths of at least 474 people. This ranks in third place (tied with 2011 and 2017) for the highest number of disasters recorded in a calendar year, behind 2021 — with 20 events — and 2020, with a record 22 separate billion-dollar events.
Snowfall reports from the morning of Sunday, January 8, 2023.
A review of climate statistics for area cities in 2022 is now available.
Temperatures for the year averaged close to normal, although they leaned a little colder than normal over western Illinois. Precipitation was above normal in southeast Illinois, but as much as 6 to 8 inches below normal around Champaign and Danville.
A look back at how the near year has started off in Peoria and Springfield since climate records began.
A White Christmas is defined as having at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas Day. Check out this interactive map of historical probabilities across the country.
The Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC) has launched an online interactive Snowfall Climatology Toolbox that provides easy-to-use, visually appealing data on annual snowfall, monthly snowfall, number of snow days, first and last snow dates, and record one-day snowfall.
The tornado outbreak of December 10-11th, 2021 was the deadliest December tornado outbreak on record, with 89 reported fatalities and over $3 billion of damage. A total of 66 tornadoes occurred, six of which were in central Illinois.
Strong winds were reported across central and northeast Illinois on Saturday, November 5th, including a gust of 68 mph at Willard Airport south of Champaign.
About 1 in 4 Election Days in central Illinois will see measurable precipitation, though this year will be dry.
La Niña returns for a third straight year. While wetter than normal conditions are favored over Illinois, there is no particular temperature trend favored.
We have updated the layout and graphics associated with our observed daily temperature, precipitation and snowfall graphics.
NOAA’s new Lightning Climatology tool for the continental U.S. shows when cloud-to-ground lightning flashes are historically most frequent for any location across the country.
Our low bandwidth (or "lite") radar page, which has a basic display and no interactive features, has changed its web address.
A supercell thunderstorm on Saturday, August 20th produced hail as large as 3" in diameter in Washington (northern Tazewell County). In our coverage area, there have only been 27 instances of hail at least this large since 1950.
The weekly NWR test for August 3, 2022, has been postponed due to the threat of severe weather. The test will be conducted on the next clear weather day.
Rainfall reports as of 7 PM Thursday
NOAA has implemented its latest version of the Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System, which operates at 3 times the speed of the previous system.
Ken Graham, the director of the National Hurricane Center, has been named the new director of the National Weather Service, effective June 7th.
May 2022 monthly climate summary for portions of central and southeastern Illinois.
On this date in 1917, 108 people were killed by tornadoes across central Illinois, almost all of them in Mattoon and Charleston.
The Climate Prediction Center projects this will be the 7th consecutive above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin (which includes the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico).
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it will turn a reddish hue.
Monthly climate summary for April 2022 across central Illinois.
A brief EF1 strength tornado occurred on Sunday, April 24, north of Taylorville in Christian County.
Every Earth Day we pause to appreciate all that our home planet provides humankind.
Strong winds were observed in central IL today as listed in the attached Public Information Statement
On this date in 1953, the first tornado hook echo was documented on radar in Champaign County.
Snow reports received by the NWS from an event that occurred on March 10th and 11th.
In response to feedback from emergency managers and others, the National Weather Service (NWS) has added a simplified fast loading radar website, in addition to the existing GIS-based website.
Heavy snowfall in excess of 8 inches occurred over portions of central Illinois on Thursday, February 17, while areas further south saw a mixture of freezing rain and sleet.
On Friday, December 10th 2021, a strong low pressure system tracked from Kansas City towards the Great Lakes region producing a significant severe weather event across the Midwest. Several tornadoes were confirmed.
Climate statistics for 2021 are available for several cities in central and southeast Illinois.
La Nina conditions influenced the start of 2021, and a renewed La Nina pattern closed out the year as well.
An anomalous low pressure system brought strong wind gusts and record temperatures to portions of central Illinois on December 15-16, 2021.
SRD was developed in 1999 by the NWS and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). It celebrates the contributions that volunteer SKYWARN radio operators make to the NWS. Normally during SRD, SKYWARN operators visit NWS offices and contact other radio operators across the United States and the world. This year ALL of our SKYWARN spotters can enter into our log page to participate.
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has released their outlook for the 2021-2022 winter season.
A La Nina has developed and will extend through the second winter in a row according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. La Nina is a natural ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator and is translated from Spanish as “little girl.â€
October 11th, 2021 Severe Weather Reports
Chris Miller, our long time Warning Coordination Meteorologist, is retiring August 27th after a 33 year career with the National Weather Service.
Mapping of tornadoes in central & SE IL this year
Fisher Illinois Tornado - July 12th, 2021
March 2022 Climate Summary - Updated graphics and snowfall statistics
Ryan Knutsvig reported as our new Meteorologist-in-Charge on June 23, after serving the same function at the NWS office in Grand Forks, ND.
The NOAA Weather Radio station serving Champaign/Urbana and surrounding areas is back in service
Story Map of the August 10, 2020 Midwest Corn Belt Derecho - The costliest severe thunderstorm event in United States history
Preliminary recap of the May 3, 2021, severe weather outbreak across central Illinois. This story is being updated.
A recap of the April 20-21, 2021 winter event that brought accumulating snow and near-record cold temperatures to central Illinois.
On April 19, 1996, Illinois saw its largest tornado outbreak on record. A total of 39 tornadoes were observed across the state, including one in Decatur which was its second tornado in successive evenings.
Brief tornado touchdown north of Mason City. EF0 damage with max wind speed of 80 mph.
A recap of the strong winter storm that impacted central Illinois on February 14-15, 2021.
The Winter Storm Severity Index (WSSI) is a new tool from the National Weather Service, that forecasts potential impacts of winter storms.
If your NWR is chirping every 10 minutes, try this solution.
Ernie Goetsch, who was selected as our office's first Meteorologist in Charge while it was still under construction in 1994, has decided to call it a career.
Climate statistics for several area cities for 2020 are now available.
Here's a season by season breakdown of the weather highlights in central and southeast Illinois during 2020.
The radar displays on our web page have been redesigned to eliminate the Flash-based dependency. Here's some more information on how to use them.
The U.S. Drought Monitor issued on December 17th showed a small area of severe drought conditions in central Illinois, centered around Lincoln, Springfield and Decatur.
The National Weather Service office marks its 25th anniversary of full-time operations in Lincoln on September 27th.
Ever wonder what all we do here at our office? Take a look as we break down some of our functions.
A derecho impacted areas from Nebraska to Indiana on August 10, 2020. Extensive damage was reported along its path.
Two rounds of severe storms affected the area on July 20. Late afternoon storms developed along an outflow boundary, producing numerous storms across Champaign county, some with hail as large as golfball. During the evening a line of severe storms tracked southeast across the area, producing widespread wind damage near the I-74 corridor.
Drought Early Warning Update and Webinar for the North Central U.S. on July 7
This is an overview of the climate in the Midwest for Spring 2020 and an outlook for Summer 2020.
There have been 18 systems of tropical origin between 1850 and 2018, whose circulations passed through central or southeast Illinois.
While you are home, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Regional Collaboration Network, in conjunction with Woods Hole Sea Grant and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is offering this series on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10 am CDT during school closures. The series started on March 16 and will go through June 12th, 2020.
April 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. This grassroots effort in 1970 helped lead to the creation of our parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, later that year.
If there was one extreme weather preparedness action you want your loved ones to take, what would it be? For many, that one action is to know ahead of time where their safe place is located. On April 8th, 2020, at 11:11am local time, please join the National Weather Service and its Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors to take a “selfie†and post with the hashtag #SafePlaceSelfie.
Two tornadoes, both rated EF-1, produced damage in parts of west central Illinois west of the Illinois River valley during the evening of March 28th. Around 8 pm CDT, a tornado damaged homes and outbuildings south and east of Ipava in Fulton County. A second tornado damaged trees and roofs of buildings on the far southwest side of Peoria around 9 pm.
Need help while kids are at home with you? Check out our lessons, games, and videos to keep them engaged in science.
Daylight Saving Time starts tonight
On February 9, the NWS marks the 150th anniversary of its founding. Learn more about the history and stories of our agency.
While the NWS turns 150 this year, our parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is also celebrating a major milestone.
Here's a look back at the weather that affected our area during 2019.
SRD was developed in 1999 by the NWS and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). It celebrates the contributions that volunteer SKYWARN radio operators make to the NWS. During SRD, SKYWARN operators visit NWS offices and contact other radio operators across the United States and the world.
Strong Storms Tonight, Strong Winds Tomorrow
The Experimental Graphical Hazardous Weather Outlook provides details on several different weather parameters, over the upcoming week. Clicking the items on the right will bring up a detailed map on the left.
Portions of central Illinois received 5 to 8 inches of rain during separate thunderstorm periods, the afternoon and night of September 27th.
The NWS's radar displays, accessed at https://radar.weather.gov , are scheduled to be overhauled by next spring. This should occur before the expected discontinuance of Adobe Flash, which is used in parts of the radar display.
National Weather Service staff surveyed the damage from a pair of tornadoes that occurred on Monday, August 12th.
NOAA’s flagship weather model — the Global Forecast System (GFS) — implemented a new dynamical core called the Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere (FV3). This upgrade will drive global numerical weather prediction into the future with improved forecasts of severe weather, winter storms, and tropical cyclone intensity and track.
Several outbreaks of severe weather occurred during the latter part of May, resulted in widespread wind damage and a number of tornadoes across central and southeast Illinois.
Now in its 49th year, the first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970.
On April 3, 1974, the beginning of a widespread severe weather outbreak was occurring in Illinois. Within a 24 hour period, a total of 148 tornadoes occurred in 13 states , as well as Ontario, Canada. This stood as the largest tornado outbreak on record, until 2011.
Strong winds of 50-60 mph impacted central and southeast Illinois, following passage of an intense storm system.
February 5th is National Weatherperson's Day, which commemorates the birth of one of America's first weather observers (John Jeffries in 1744).
A major winter storm affected central Illinois on the weekend of January 12th, producing a foot or more of snow in some areas.
The December 1, 2018 severe weather event set the December record for most tornadoes in Illinois.
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend ended with blizzard conditions impacting a large part of the Midwest, including areas of central Illinois.
Five years ago, 25 tornadoes occurred across Illinois, including an EF4-strength tornado which devastated the town of Washington.
A mild winter could be in store for much of the United States this winter, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. In the U.S. Winter Outlook for December through February, above-average temperatures are most likely across the northern and western U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.
A stationary front combined with the remains of Tropical Storm Gordon, to produce several periods of heavy rain from September 6-9th.
National Preparedness Month (NPM), recognized each September, provides an opportunity to remind us that we all must prepare ourselves and our families now and throughout the year.
The Perseid meteor shower will peak Sunday night, with potentially 50-70 meteors per hour. Here are some viewing tips and suggestions for how to photograph the meteor shower.
Overview of the June 9-12 severe weather and flash flooding event across central Illinois.
Summary of the 5/30/18 heavy rain event in the Illinois River Valley.
Additional showers and a few thunderstorms should develop by mid to late afternoon today. Some of the thunderstorms may contain some hail and strong wind gusts.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has released a web application that allows one to see how the eclipse may appear from any location. You can quickly visualize the length and intensity of the event at any point.