Illinois Weather Trivia

February Weather Trivia

February 1:

• 1905: The Weather Bureau opened a station in Peoria, at the current Bradley University campus. The station measured temperatures, wind speed and direction, precipitation, snowfall, and barometric pressure.


• 2008: A major winter storm moved through the Ohio Valley on January 31 and February 1. Most of the northern half of Illinois saw in excess of 6 inches of snow, with 9 to 12 inches from Springfield to Rantoul, as well as the western Chicago suburbs.

February 2:

• 1997: After the near record January snowfall in Springfield, February was a major change. Only a trace of snow was noted during the month, tying the record for the least snowiest February. The record was first set in 1935, then tied in 1957 and 1987.


• 2011: A widespread and unusually significant snowstorm affected a large part of the nation as February began. Excessive snowfall totals of a foot were common in a large area, from Oklahoma northeast to Michigan, with widespread blizzard conditions. 3-day totals over central Illinois were in excess of a foot along and northwest of I-55, with totals as high as 18 inches in Winchester, 17 inches in Princeville, and 16 inches in Havana. Snowfall totals were enhanced by thunderstorms, which caused accumulation rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour. East of I-55, Tuscola and Taylorville reported 4 inches of sleet. Northeast winds on the 1st gusted from 45 to 65 mph, causing blizzard conditions, and resulted in the closure of nearly all of I-39 and I-155, as well as I-74 from Galesburg to Peoria. Closer to the I-70 corridor, ice accumulated from half to 3/4 inch thick.

February 3:

• 1883: An extensive area of sleet and freezing rain occurred on the 2nd and 3rd. Two-day precipitation totals (which included rain) ranged from 2 to 4 inches, but most of the sleet and freezing rain occurred late on the 2nd into the morning of the 3rd. Severe damage occurred to trees, telegraph wires, and telephone wires. Ice accumulation of as much as 1.25 inches thick was observed in Atlanta (Logan County). As temperatures fell below freezing following this system, the ice remained on the trees and exposed objects for as long as 11 days.


• 2022: A 3-day winter storm was wrapping up on this date, producing 8 to 15 inches of snow from southeast of Quincy to Danville and Kankakee. The snow was preceded by up to a quarter inch of ice in parts of east central and southeast Illinois.

February 4:

• 1996: A cold wave which began on January 29th peaked on this day in much of the region. Low temperatures across much of Illinois ranged from 15 to 25 below zero; in northwest Illinois, a low of 35 below zero at Elizabeth tied the Illinois all-time record low (which has since been broken twice). In central Illinois, lows included 20 below zero at Lincoln, 19 below at Springfield and Peoria, 18 below at Decatur, and 17 below at Champaign.

February 5:

• 2008: A period of mild temperatures, and rain on top of a melting snow pack, led to widespread dense fog during the morning. This resulted in numerous school closures and many traffic accidents. One person was killed in Vermilion County in a traffic accident. In the afternoon, thunderstorms formed along a warm front, causing some severe weather south of I-70, with winds gusting from 60 to 70 mph. Flash flooding was reported on both sides of the front, due to the rain and the rapidly melting snow.

February 6:

• 1982: Bitter cold was found across northern and central Illinois. Low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero or colder were noted from near Peoria east to Watseka, and also from the Quad Cities northeast to Rockford.

February 7:

• 1904: A tornado touched down in the southern tip of Illinois, hitting the towns of Meridian and Villa Ridge. Parts of some barns were carried over a mile. Another tornado in Clinton County picked up a home, turned it around, and returned it to the ground.


• 1979: A winter storm affected central and southern Illinois from the 6th through the 9th. The heaviest snowfall of 6 inches was reported near Decatur, Salem, and in the far southeast part of the state. Heavy snow of 5 inches was also found from near Mason City northwest to near Burlington, Iowa.

February 8:

• 2012: An unusually mild winter was in progress, with temperatures averaging 4 to 6 degrees above normal. Several areas saw temperatures remain at or above zero the entire winter. Springfield had its first winter in 30 years where temperatures failed to fall below zero, and Peoria saw its first winter since 1997-98 without a below zero reading.

February 9:

• 1870: Congress authorized the War Department to take weather observations at key marine ports, assigning this function to the U.S. Army Signal Service. The intention was to provide advanced warning of storm systems that could adversely affect marine interests. This service was the forerunner to the current National Weather Service.

February 10:

• 1932: Spring made a very early appearance across central Illinois. Record high temperatures included 75 degrees at Springfield, 74 at Peoria, 73 at Lincoln, 71 at Decatur, and 68 at Champaign.


• 1959: A violent tornado moved from St. Louis into the Venice and Granite City areas of Illinois. While the greatest damage and casualties occurred in Missouri, some damage to factories was reported in Illinois.

February 11:

• 1979: Severe thunderstorms quickly moved across central Illinois during the afternoon. These produced downed trees and power lines across many areas. The greatest damage occurred across Tazewell County. Six trucks were blown over on I-74 northeast of Morton, a roof was blown off a house in Delavan, and numerous outbuildings were damaged or destroyed.


• 2003: Thundersnow storms developed over eastern Iowa, and moved rapidly east into Illinois. As the storms moved into the area, damaging winds, lightning, and near whiteout conditions were reported with the passage of the storms. After the storms weakened and moved out, strong gradient winds briefly developed and moved east across the region. The high winds caused 13 freight cars of a 105 car train to leave the tracks near Ancona. One of the derailed cars was carrying battery acid, but no spill occurred. The high winds also created a rare phenomenon, called snow rollers, across much of central Illinois. The snow rollers ranged in size from golf ball size to over 30 inches long and a foot tall.


• 2006: A highly localized heavy snow event affected portions of central Illinois. Cold air aloft helped to produce intense snow showers, with Sangamon County hit hardest. The Springfield area received anywhere from 1 to 8 inches of snow, with the totals increasing from north to south across the city. A separate heavy snow band produced 7 inches in Pleasant Plains, but other areas of western Sangamon County saw nothing.


• 2008: A major ice storm affected southern Illinois, between I-64 and the Ohio River. Ice thickness in excess of 3/4 inches was common in this area, with locally higher amounts over an inch located south of Carbondale.

February 12:

• 1978: A three-day snowstorm began across northern and central Illinois. The heaviest snowfall was found from near Champaign north to Pontiac, with 8 to 11 inches of snow being reported. During the winter of 1977-78, 18 severe winter storms moved across Illinois; this storm was the second of four which affected the state during February.


• 2007: One of the most significant snowstorms in a decade produced 8 to 15 inches of snow, in a large area of central Illinois. This began late on the 12th and continued until late on the 13th. The highest total of 17 inches was reported at Sidell, with 15.8 inches on the southwest side of Springfield. Wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph resulted in blizzard conditions.

February 13:

• 1905: Extremely cold temperatures occurred across central Illinois. Low temperatures of 26 below zero at Springfield, and 25 below zero at Decatur, set all-time records. Peoria reported 26 below zero, the second coldest temperature in city history. Champaign's 25 below zero reading was also an all-time record, although it was later tied. A low of 24 below zero at Bloomington tied its all-time record.

February 14:

• 1990: A winter storm blanketed northern Illinois with 6 to 12 inches of snow. Further south, a major ice storm was in progress. The worst conditions were reported in Macon, Champaign, and Vermilion Counties. Heavy ice accumulations stretched from Decatur, through Champaign/Urbana, then to Danville. Champaign reported 1.79 inches of precipitation, mostly in the form of freezing rain. Many trees and power lines were brought down by the heavy ice accumulation; power was out for several days in some areas. In Champaign County alone, $12 million damage was reported.


• 1991: A winter storm produced near-blizzard conditions in central Illinois. Although only 2 to 3 inches of snow actually fell, northwest winds of 40 mph produced whiteout conditions. A 60 mile stretch of Interstate 57 north of Paxton was closed due to numerous accidents in low visibility; parts of I-55 near Bloomington and I-74 in Champaign were also closed for a time. Wind chills of 40 to 50 below zero accompanied the storm.

February 15:

• 1993: A winter storm dumped heavy snow on central and southern Illinois. Snowfall totals in excess of 6 inches were reported south of a line from Quincy to Springfield to Paris. The heaviest snowfall, 10-12 inches, fell between Carbondale and the Mississippi River. The total snowfall in Springfield from the storm was 7.6 inches.


• 2021: A strong winter storm moved across the central U.S. at mid month, producing a large area of over 8 inches of snow from southwest Illinois to Lake Michigan. Some of the snow near Chicago was lake-enhanced. Three-day snowfall totals ending on the 16th included 18 inches in West Ridge, Oak Park, and Evanston, with over 17 inches near Midway Airport and 16.9 inches at McCormick Place. A fairly substantial snowfall gradient was noted along the Tri-State Tollway, with amounts west of there closer to 4-6 inches.

February 16:

• 1976: Severe thunderstorms developed across parts of central Illinois during the late afternoon hours. A tornado touched down in Pana, in Christian County, destroying a home and damaging about 50 others. The storms also produced strong winds in Macoupin, Montgomery, Shelby, and Coles Counties. Damage occurred to trees, power lines, and some buildings as a result.


• 2003: A long-lasting sleet storm affected southern Illinois. The precipitation was almost all sleet south of the Marion/Carbondale area, where an inch or two was reported. Along and north of a Carbondale to Harrisburg line, there was more snow, with total accumulations of sleet and snow in the 3 to 6 inch range. The storm occurred on the Presidents Day weekend. Most schools and businesses scheduled to be open on Presidents Day were closed. Franklin County officials reported about 25 accidents in that county alone, none of which involved injuries.

February 17:

• 2000: A major winter storm exiting the Southern Rockies moved through the Mississippi Valley, and into the Great Lakes. The storm system resulted in a variety of weather, ranging from heavy snow to freezing rain and rain. Widespread heavy snow occurred in northern Illinois, where amounts ranged from 5 to 10 inches, with some 12 inch totals in the Chicago area. Further south, an ice storm affected central parts of Illinois, near the Illinois River Valley, from late in the evening on the 17th through the late afternoon hours of the 18th. A quarter to half an inch of ice resulted in numerous reports of downed power lines and tree limbs, extended power outages and traffic accidents. One traffic accident in Woodford County, attributed to an icy road, resulted in one serious injury.


• 2014: A winter storm produced a variety of weather across the area. Areas along and north of I-74 saw 3 to 5 inches of snow, while an extensive mixture of freezing rain and sleet changed over to snow further south. Ice accumulations of around 1/4 inch were reported along the I-72 corridor and east to Danville. During the late afternoon, snow rollers formed as wet snow accumulated on the icy ground, then were blown into log-shaped “snowballs.”

February 18:

• 1993: The low temperature in Springfield fell to 15 degrees below zero. This day, and the previous day, were the only two days in 1993 that had a low temperature below zero.

February 19:

• 1888: Severe thunderstorms over southern Illinois spawned a violent tornado which touched down in Jefferson County and devastated the southeast half of Mount Vernon. The tornado killed 24 people, injured 80 others, and destroyed or damaged 300 homes and 50 businesses. Overturned wood stoves ignited many fires in the wreckage. This currently stands as the 9th deadliest Illinois tornado on record.

February 20:

• 2014: A powerful late winter storm brought severe weather to parts of the Midwest. Over central and southern Illinois, 11 tornadoes were reported, mainly between the I-72 and I-70 corridors, although one occurred as far south as Murphysboro. The strongest one touched down near Nokomis, and moved northeast past Pana to north of Tower Hill. It was on the ground for 22 miles, and was rated at EF2 intensity with a peak wind of 115 mph. Even behind the storms, wind gusts of 45 to 65 mph persisted well into the evening, and the gust of 64 mph at Springfield set its February record.

February 21:

• 1997: A storm system moving through the central U.S. brought copious rainfall to parts of northern and central Illinois on the 20th and 21st. A large area of the state from Quincy to Chicago reported in excess of 3 inches of rain, with local amounts to near 4 inches. Peoria reported a two-day rainfall total of 3.58 inches, which is about 2-1/2 times the normal for the entire month of February.


• 2008: An ice and sleet storm occurred across far southern portions of Illinois. Ice accumulations of 1/4 to 1/2 inch were reported along the Ohio River, while sleet accumulated up to 2.5 inches in depth near Mount Vernon.

February 22:

• 1994: Heavy snow fell across northern Illinois, beginning the afternoon of the 22nd and continuing into the next day. Snowfall totals included 9.6 inches at Moline, 9.3 inches at Rockford, 9.1 inches at Chicago, and 10 inches at Romeoville. Strong northeast winds caused considerable blowing and drifting of the snow.

February 23:

• 2003: A short but intense snowstorm was noted across southern Illinois, as surface low pressure tracked from Arkansas to Kentucky. Between 5 and 7 inches of snow fell across Lawrence County, southward to a Carbondale to Carmi line. Visibility was less than one quarter mile during the heaviest snow bursts, and was accompanied by thunder and lightning in a few spots.

February 24:

• 1930: Unseasonably warm high temperatures included 78 degrees in Springfield, 75 at Decatur, 71 at Peoria, and 70 degrees at Champaign.

February 25:

• 1956: Overnight violent tornadoes in the St. Louis area moved across the Mississippi River into St. Clair County. One passed through Dupo, destroying or damaging 30 homes. A second tornado tore apart much of the southwest part of Summerfield. Each tornado killed 3 people. Other tornadoes later in the night affected Clinton, Richland, and Lawrence Counties.


• 1993: Areas of central and southern Illinois that were affected by a winter storm earlier in the month received another blast of heavy snow. Snowfall totals included 13 inches at Quincy, and 10 to 12 inches in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Springfield had a storm total of 6.9 inches.

February 26:

• 1996: Central Illinois experienced weather more typical of mid spring rather than late winter. Regional high temperatures were in the lower and mid 70s. Severe thunderstorms moved through the region during the evening hours, producing hail as well as an 80 mph wind gust that extensively damaged the Macon County Fairgrounds near Decatur.


• 1997: The second major rainstorm in a week affected central and eastern Illinois. The heaviest rainfall, of over 2 inches, was found in east central parts of the state east of I-57. Rainfall of 1.63 inches at Springfield and 1.28 inches in Peoria fell on top of already saturated ground, further aggravating river flooding across the area.

February 27:

• 1876: A tornado moved across Madison County for 7 miles, peaking at an estimated F3 intensity, and destroying 11 homes, two churches, and a school in the western part of New Douglas. The death toll of 3 included a preacher during a church service, and two people in a funeral procession.


• 2024: Unsesonably warm weather resulted in February record high temperatures of 81 degrees in Jacksonville, 80 degrees in Springfield, and 78 degrees in Lincoln, Peoria, and Rockford. This concluded as a strong cold front dropped temperatures from 50 to 60 degrees. Severe weather associated with the cold front produced 11 tornadoes across northern Illinois, along with wind gusts near 80 mph in Palatine.

February 28:

• 1900: Extremely heavy snow fell over central Illinois. A total of 36 inches at Astoria (Fulton County) set the state record. A total of 15 inches at Springfield stood as the all-time record for over a century.


• 2017: A total of 16 tornadoes occurred across Illinois. Several tornadoes north of I-72 were the farthest north occurring tornadoes in February on record for the state. Strong (EF3) tornadoes affected Naplate and Ottawa in La Salle County, killing two people, while a third in Washburn spent much of its time in open farmland. In southern Illinois, an EF4 tornado moved in from Missouri and was on the ground for 50 miles, while a second tornado (EF3) took a 45 mile path from southeast Illinois into Indiana.

February 29:

• 2000: Severe thunderstorms moved across parts of west central Illinois. In Scott County, a grain silo in Riggston was blown over, and a semi trailer rolled into a field. In Morgan County, a metal storage building near Concord lost its roof, and several trees were blown down. In Logan County, two mobile homes in Broadwell lost part of their roofs.

March Weather Trivia

March 1:

• 2002: Snowfall totals of 6 to 8 inches were measured in the central Illinois counties along and west of the Illinois River, from early in the evening on the 1st through the 2nd. Strong northwest winds, with gusts approaching 40 mph, produced significant blowing and drifting snow. Most roads were snow and ice covered, with numerous traffic accidents reported. Northern Illinois was hit harder, receiving 6 to 11 inches of snow, with 11.1 inches reported at Rockford.

March 2:

• 1940: Several tornadoes touched down across central and southern Illinois. The strongest one moved across Johnson and Pope Counties, peaking at F4 intensity in Johnson County. Four farm homes were destroyed, and 8 others were badly damaged. One person was killed by flying debris near Flatwoods. Other tornadoes touched down at Shawneetown in Gallatin County, in Alton, and near Bunker Hill in Macoupin County.


• 2023: An unusually intense surface low moved across the southern tip of Illinois around midday, producing record low pressure below 29 inches. Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph persisted for seveal hours as the low passed through the region.

March 3:

• 1978: Winter storm #16 of the 1977-78 winter season produced heavy snow across the central third of Illinois. Totals of 7-8 inches were reported near Quincy, from Springfield southwest into Greene County, and also from Mattoon eastward to the Indiana border near Terre Haute.

March 4:

• 1961: A tornado caused $7 million damage as it moved northeast across Chicago. First touching down at 91st and Hoyne Sts, it eventually moved onto Lake Michigan. 3,000 homes were damaged, and 9 major buildings had to be torn down. One person was killed after being thrown against a building. 115 people were injured.


• 1988: A 50 mile wide area of heavy snow produced 3 to 8 inches from Quincy to Springfield to Danville. South of there, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches of ice was reported. Power lines and trees were downed from the ice. Severe icing extended from the far northeast St. Louis suburbs eastward to the Indiana border near Terre Haute. In Edgar, Coles, and Clark counties, the icing was considered to be worse than the major ice storm of 1978.

March 5:

• 1989: A winter storm produced a 100 mile wide area of heavy snow, from East St. Louis to Danville. Snow totals included 12 inches in Cahokia, 11 inches in Alton, 8 to 12 inches near Mattoon, 8 inches in Danville, and 7 inches in Champaign.

March 6:

• 1961: Several tornadoes moved across parts of central and southern Illinois. One tornado moved along a 120 mile path from Jerseyville to Litchfield to Greenup (Cumberland County), causing $300,000 damage. Another tornado further south moved from Chester to Bellmont.

March 7:

• 1978: Central Illinois was in the midst of the latest in a series of severe winter storms which moved across the area during the winter of 1977-78. In this storm, which ended on March 8th, the heaviest band of snow extended in a wide area along and north of I-70. Up to 14 inches of snow was reported in Montgomery, eastern Macoupin, and far southern Christian Counties. The snow tapered off sharply further north, with no snow being reported north of Peoria.


• 2017: An intense line of thunderstorms raced across central Illinois between late evening Monday and early morning Tuesday, March 6-7. This line of storms had originated across western Iowa and eastern Nebraska during the afternoon hours, and caused significant damage all along its path. Most of the severe weather reports received in central Illinois were caused by strong winds. However, three tornadoes occurred, one in northeast Mason County and two in southwest Tazewell County. The strongest one was an EF2 tornado northeast of Delavan.

March 8:

• 1871: A tornado moved across the St. Louis area at a reported 70 mph, crossing the Mississippi River near East St. Louis and Venice. There was considerable damage to docks and ferries on the river; damage was reported to have been carried 30 miles. Six railroad depots were destroyed, accounting for most of the $200,000 damage. Eight of the 9 deaths occurred at the East St. Louis railroad yards, while the 9th occurred on a bridge. 60 people were injured during the tornado, which peaked at F3 intensity.


• 1978: Springfield had a 5-day period from March 7-11th with a snow depth of at least 10 inches. The depth of 16 inches on this date tied its record for greatest snow depth.


• 1998: A winter storm developed across Illinois on the 8th, bringing a mixture of freezing rain and snow, which changed to all snow by the evening. The heaviest snowfall occurred in northeast Illinois, with 6 to 12 inches of snow recorded. Snowfall amounts ranged from 2 inches near Mattoon to over 6 inches across Knox, Fulton, and Peoria Counties. Two people died in car accidents in Peoria County, due to the treacherous road conditions. Winds gusting to 50 mph created occasional white-out conditions, which lasted until the 9th. These winds also caused high waves on Lake Michigan, with half a million dollars damage noted to lakefront parks.

March 9:

• 1999: A winter storm moved into Illinois, producing heavy snow on the 8th and 9th across northern and central parts of the state. The heaviest snow was 11 inches in Havana, with 9.3 inches in Virginia. Heavy snow of 9 inches also fell in Galesburg and South Pekin, with 8 inches in Bradford. A swath of 9 to 12 inches of snow occurred near I-80 in northwest Illinois. Winds gusting to 30 to 40 mph caused local whiteout conditions.


• 2002: High, gradient winds of 40 to 50 mph occurred across much of Illinois. A measured gust of 87 mph was reported by an observer in Arcola, in Douglas County. Other measured gusts included 65 mph in Galesburg, 62 mph in Tremont (Tazewell County), 61 mph in Oblong (Crawford County) and 58 mph in Lincoln. Three people were killed in downtown Chicago, when a piece of scaffolding was blown off the John Hancock Center, falling 40 stories and crushing two cars.

March 10:

• 1960: March of 1960 went down in the record books as being the coldest March on record. Average temperatures during the month included 22.6 degrees at Peoria, 24.2 in Springfield, and 25.6 in Champaign.

March 11:

• 2000: Heavy snow of 6 to 10 inches, accompanied by blowing and drifting, occurred in parts of central and southeast Illinois from the morning into the early evening. Several weather related traffic accidents resulted in nine serious injuries and one fatality. A 16 year old male was killed in a one car accident near Oakland (Coles County). Four people were injured in a traffic accident near Neoga (Cumberland County), three people were injured in an accident near Assumption (Christian County), and two people were injured in an accident near Windsor (Shelby County). A second, but smaller band of heavy snow, occurred from eastern Morgan County into northern Sangamon County, where 6 to 8 inches was reported.

March 12:

• 1976: Three strong tornadoes affected northeast and east central Illinois during the early afternoon hours. One moved across DuPage and Cook Counties, peeling many long-span roofs back near O’Hare Airport. Two people were killed by this tornado. A second tornado moved from near Oswego to Villa Park, destroying several homes in a subdivision near Oswego. A third tornado started in Kankakee County near St. Anne, moving east into Indiana.


• 2006: A supercell thunderstorm, which had originated in northern Oklahoma during the late morning hours, moved northeast across central Illinois during the evening. This storm produced a number of tornadoes across the state, including one that was on the ground for approximately 65 miles, from the southeast tip of Pike County to Springfield; a second tornado then formed in southern Springfield and moved through the eastern part of the city. The two Springfield tornadoes were each rated at F2 intensity, and were just over 1/2 mile wide at their widest. Over 1,000 buildings in the Springfield area were damaged or destroyed. Further north, severe thunderstorms produced a measured wind gust of 107 mph at the Quad City Airport near Moline, destroying a hotel under construction and damaging many nearby homes and businesses. A downburst in Henry County produced 95 mph winds in Atkinson, and winds in Stephenson County were estimated near 80 mph.

March 13:

• 1990: A tornado which first touched down near Riverdale, IA, moved on an erratic path to north of Cordova, IL, northeast of the Quad Cities. Damage at Cordova amounted to $2.5 million, where 12 homes were destroyed or severely damaged, and 26 other homes had some degree of damage. One person was injured at the Cordova Nuclear Plant.


• 2017: An extended period of lake-effect snow impacted northeast Illinois, lingering into the 14th. Snowfall rates of 2-4" per hour occurred in some areas. Snowfall totals of 8 to 16 inches were reported in Lake and Cook Counties, with 16 inches at Waukegan.

March 14:

• 2017: Following widespread snow in northeast Illinois, a band of lake effect snow developed late on the 13th and continued into the 14th. O’Hare Airport reported 5.2 inches of lake effect snow; the total between the two events was 7.7 inches. Collectively, many locations in the counties along Lake Michigan reported 8 to 12 inches of snow, with 16 inches reported near Waukegan.

March 15:

• 1938: A violent tornado touched down in the St. Louis metro area 5 miles southwest of Belleville, and moved north to O’Fallon. 60 homes were destroyed in Belleville, where 8 people were killed and 52 injured. Two more people were killed in O’Fallon. Glass from a gas station was carried 25 miles. The roar of the tornado could reportedly be heard for 10 minutes before the storm struck.


• 2016: Severe thunderstorms produced four tornadoes in central Illinois. A pair of EF2 tornadoes occurred. One was on the ground for 18 miles and 4 counties, traveling from Good Hope to near St. Augustine. Another was in central Peoria County, from near Trivoli to Kickapoo. Weaker tornadoes also occurred on the northwest side of Peoria, as well as the far southwest edge of Springfield.

March 16:

• 1942: A tornado in east central Illinois touched down in southwest Champaign County near Ivesdale, then moved northeast to the Indiana border. Farms were swept away in the Savoy, Mayview, and St. Joseph areas. In the town of Alvin, about 25 homes were damaged. A total of 9 people were killed, with 60 injured. Further northwest, a violent tornado touched down near Kickapoo (northwest of Peoria), and moved northeast through Chillicothe and Lacon. A quarter of Lacon was destroyed, amounting to about 60 homes, many of which were completely swept away. Eight people died in this tornado, which peaked at F5 intensity. Two others were killed by a third tornado which moved just west and north of Lincoln.


• 1960: A late-season winter storm moving across central Illinois produced 4.8 inches of snow in Peoria and 2.9 inches in Springfield, both records for the date. The two-day total for the 15th and 16th was close to 6 inches in both cities.

March 17:

• 2012: An extended period of unseasonably warm weather occurred from the 14th through the 21st, with highs in the mid 70s to lower 80s. Urbana, Normal, and Galesburg all saw their earliest 80 degree temperatures on record.

March 18:

• 1925: The Tri-State Tornado moved from southeast Missouri, across southern Illinois, and into southwest Indiana. The tornado traveled a total of 437 miles across the three states; the death toll of 695 is the greatest loss of life in the U.S. due to a tornado. In the first 120 mile stretch of its path through Illinois, 541 people were killed in a 40 minute span, including 234 people in Murphysboro and 148 in West Frankfort. The death toll in Murphysboro was the largest on record in the country for a single city. 33 students in De Soto were killed, the worst school death toll from a tornado in U.S. history. The tornado at times was a mile wide and traveled between 55 and 75 mph.

March 19:

• 1948: Illinois' 6th deadliest tornado on record affected areas in and just east of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The tornado traveled from Alton east to Bunker Hill, in far southern Macoupin County. 33 people lost their lives, and 449 were injured. Half of Forestburg and 80% of Bunker Hill was damaged or destroyed. The parent storm produced another violent tornado further northeast, from near Litchfield to Moweaqua. Much of the damage from this storm was 3 miles northwest of Litchfield and 3 miles southeast of Morrisonville. No deaths were reported from this particular tornado.

March 20:

• 1976: A violent tornado carved a 63 mile long path of destruction across east central Illinois. The tornado first touched down just southeast of Decatur and moved east-northeast to near Danville. The worst damage occurred at Sadorus, in southwestern Champaign County. 13 houses and 7 mobile homes were destroyed, and another 25 houses were damaged beyond repair; total damage was estimated at $2 million. At the time, the tornado was 1/2 mile wide and had multiple vortices within the main tornado funnel. The tornado then destroyed several homes in Philo. Downtown Ogden took a direct hit from the tornado, with $1 million damage reported.


• 1996: A winter storm moved across southeast Illinois on the 19th and 20th, producing up to 11 inches of snow. In Clark County near Casey, a semi-truck skidded out of control and slammed into an overpass, killing the driver. The truck was carrying a chlorine compound, requiring nearby buildings to be evacuated as a precaution.

March 21:

• 1907: Springfield recorded a high temperature of 91 degrees, marking its earliest 90 degree day on record and a record for the month of March. Month record highs were also established at Peoria, with 87 degrees, and Champaign, with 85 degrees.


• 2006: A major winter storm impacted central Illinois. A swath of heavy snow fell across much of the region, with 6 to 10 inch snowfall totals common. In addition, blizzard conditions occurred across Scott, Morgan, Sangamon, Christian and Shelby counties with wind gusts to 45 mph recorded. No major injuries or fatalities were reported, though numerous vehicle accidents occurred.


• 2008: Heavy snowfall occurred across portions of far northern Illinois, on the first full day of spring. Totals up to 11 inches were reported near Gurnee, with 5 to 10 inches common from Rockford to the northern Chicago suburbs.

March 22:

• 1991: A tornado made several sporadic touchdowns as it moved across Vermilion County during the late evening. The first touchdown was in Tilton, damaging 10 homes and the city hall. The last touchdown was on the southwest side of Danville, damaging some signs, store windows, and trees. Total damage was around $1 million.


• 2024: A narrow band of heavy, wet snow fell over far northern Illinois, producing a narrow corridor of 6 to 9 inches of accumulation from near Rockford to Savanna.

March 23:

• 1906: Champaign was in the midst of its snowiest month on record, when 32 inches of snow was recorded. Monthly records were also established at Decatur, with a total of 30.5 inches, and at Springfield, at 23.4 inches.

March 24:

• 1913: A tornado touched down in southern Illinois 2 miles west of Makanda, and moved northeast to near West Frankfort. 21 of 41 railroad cars were derailed, with 10 of the cars completely destroyed. Damage to the train was $17,500. 39 farms had $30,000 worth of damage. Three people were killed.


• 2013: A major snowstorm struck central Illinois, producing several rounds of moderate to heavy snowfall accompanied by thunderstorms. Snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour were noted. A total of 10 to 18 inches fell in an area from Rushville to Danville, south to near I-70, with the heaviest totals in Logan, Sangamon, and Christian Counties. Several locations established their all-time 24-hour snowfall record, including Springfield (17.4 inches), Pana (13.8 inches), and Taylorville (17.7 inches). The snow depth of 16 inches at Springfield the next morning tied its all-time greatest depth. The total for the entire storm in Springfield was 18.5 inches.

March 25:

• 1978: A major ice storm affected a large portion of central Illinois over a two-day period. The storm, leaving several inches of ice, was described as one of the worst in many years. 24 counties were declared disaster areas. The thick ice combined with strong winds to down power lines, tree limbs, and TV antennas; small fires resulted from the broken power lines. Cleanup across the area lasted up to a week.

March 25:

• 2000: Severe thunderstorms moved across parts of west central Illinois. In Scott County, a grain silo in Riggston was blown over, and a semi trailer rolled into a field. In Morgan County, a metal storage building near Concord lost its roof, and several trees were blown down. In Logan County, two mobile homes in Broadwell lost part of their roofs.

March 26:

• 2002: A winter storm produced areas of heavy snow and ice accumulations, from the morning of the 25th through the morning of the 26th. Snowfall totals of 2 to 4 inches, along with significant blowing and drifting snow, created near whiteout conditions in Peoria, Woodford, northern Tazewell and northwest McLean counties the morning of the 25th. Numerous accidents occurred as a result of the snow covered roads and decreased visibility. Northern parts of Fulton County reported one-half inch of sleet, mixed with freezing rain. Further southeast, freezing rain late in the evening of the 25th into the early morning hours of the 26th produced 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice in the counties between I-72 and I-70. The freezing rain changed to sleet, then snow before daybreak. Snowfall amounts ranging from 4 to 7 inches, with significant blowing and drifting, occurred along a line from Pana through Monticello to Danville.

March 27:

• 1890: Several strong to violent tornadoes affected southern Illinois. One tornado near Rockwood threw 18 inch thick trees across the Mississippi River into Illinois. Another tornado crossed the river further downstream and tore through Grand Tower, where some of the 27 destroyed homes were completely swept away, before lifting north of Carbondale. A family of tornadoes affected areas along the Ohio River, while another tornado destroyed 32 buildings in Olney.


• 1961: Intense low pressure produced high winds of 50 to 80 mph across much of Illinois. At the Joliet airport, a wind gust of 100 mph was recorded before the wind gage was blown away. A gust of 74 mph at Capital Airport in Springfield caused damage to a hangar. In Dwight (Livingston County), one person was killed in a car accident when a dust storm reduced visibility to near zero.


• 1991: Strong low pressure produced severe weather in northern Illinois as well as high winds in central and eastern parts of the state. In Springfield, a 71 mph wind gust was recorded at Capital Airport, while the Peoria airport reported a wind gust of 68 mph. Further northeast, severe thunderstorms produced a wind gust of 84 mph at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, and a strong tornado caused $8 million damage in the far southern Chicago suburbs.

March 28:

• 1920: Two strong tornadoes moved across parts of the west and southwest Chicago region. One tornado of F3 strength moved across Kane County, touching down 1.5 miles southeast of La Fox and tracking to Elgin. This tornado killed 8, injured 100, and damaged much of the business district of Elgin. Another tornado touched down in Will County 2 miles north of Channahon. The tornado moved northeast through Romeoville while on the ground intermittently, then touched down and strengthened in Cook County in the Bellwood and Maywood areas. The Melrose Park area was particularly hard hit, destroying 50 homes and killing 10 people. The tornado eventually moved out over Lake Michigan. A total of 28 people were killed by the two tornadoes. A separate tornado touched down in the Bridgeview area of Chicago, and passed between Midway Airport and Cicero before lifting 4 miles west southwest of the Loop.


• 1998: A tornado touched down a mile southwest of Mattoon around 5:30 am, and traveled to the northeast. It damaged 4 homes in the initial touchdown area, and turned over 4 empty 30-ton coal cars on the railroad tracks. It then destroyed 6 buildings in a storage complex, and several homes and businesses. After moving aloft for a short time, it touched down again, with damage limited to roofs and treetops. Overall, about $3 million damage was recorded. Three people were injured, one seriously.

March 29:

• 1922: Records for the wettest March were established in Decatur, with 9.82 inches, and Champaign, with 8.35 inches. A total of 6.81 inches in Springfield was the 3rd wettest March on record.

March 30:

• 1938: A family of three of 5 tornadoes moved across central and west central Illinois during the afternoon. The tornado damage stretched from near Quincy east-northeast to areas south of Peoria. The worst damage from the outbreak occurred in South Pekin, where 3 city blocks were leveled and 250 homes were damaged or destroyed. 9 people were killed in South Pekin, two in Morton, one in Timewell (Brown County), and one in Astoria. Eight other strong tornadoes were reported in the state that day. A home destroyed near Edwardsville had also been destroyed by another tornado in 1883.

March 31:

• 2023: A multi-state tornado outbreak across the central and eastern U.S. on this date, into April 1st. This region saw 136 tornadoes occur in a 24-hour span, the third largest tornado outbreak on record. Of these, 37 occurred in Illinois, its second largest tornado outbreak on record. An EF-3 rated tornado touched down in Jasper County and was on the ground for 41 miles, before lifting in southwest Indiana. The greatest damage from this tornado occurred in Robinson, where three people were killed.

April Weather Trivia

April 1:

• 2018:  Snowfall of 4 to 6 inches occurred across a narrow corridor of central Illinois on Easter Sunday, with local amounts of 6 to 8 inches from west of Lincoln to the Mississippi River.

April 2:

• 1964: A tornado touched down in Montgomery County, 4 miles east southeast of Farmersville, and moved northeast into Christian County, passing just northwest of Morrisonville. The Lone Elm School lost its roof, but only one of the 25 people inside was injured.


• 1975: A very late winter storm paralyzed parts of the Chicago metropolitan area, with up to 20 inches of heavy, wet snow. The storm dumped snow across west central through northeast Illinois; further south, freezing rain fell as far south as Peoria. Fifty deaths were reported; most were from heart attacks, overexertion while shoveling snow, and abandoning stalled vehicles.


• 2006: An outbreak of 25 tornadoes occurred across central and southeast Illinois. While most of these were of F0 or F1 intensity, one strong tornado tracked across Macon County southwest of Decatur. Several homes and businesses were damaged in Taylorville and Pana; two tornadoes moved across southern parts of Springfield, affecting nearly the same locations as the March 12 tornadoes.

April 3:

• 1974: One of the most violent tornado outbreak in U.S. history began on this date and continued into the early morning hours of April 4. A total of 148 tornadoes were noted in 13 states in the central and eastern U.S., including 12 in Illinois. This outbreak killed 307 people and produced $600 million in damage. In central Illinois, the strongest tornado of this outbreak moved across Macon County, affecting the west and north sides of Decatur in the early afternoon. This tornado killed one person and produced $3.4 million damage, destroyed 52 homes and severely damaged 110 others. Tornadoes were also reported in Logan, McLean, Champaign, Vermilion, Ford, and Edgar Counties.

April 4:

• 2007: A blast of cold air affected much of the Midwest for several days between the 3rd and 10th. Because temperatures in March were exceptionally warm, crops and fruit trees were much further along than usual. The repeated lows below freezing caused significant damage as a result. Approximately 90% of the peach crop across the state was lost, along with 70% of the apple crop. The combined losses to these fruit crops were approximately $22 million.

April 5:

• 1988: Severe thunderstorms moved across the northern 2/3 of the state. Baseball size hail at Galesburg caused $10 million damage to 700 cars and many homes. In East St. Louis, a wind gust of 77 mph and golfball-size hail was reported. Winds at the Bloomington airport gusted to 75 mph, causing the control tower to be evacuated. Other strong winds included 70 mph at Taylorville and 69 mph at Decatur. Extensive damage was reported due to the storms.

April 6:

• 1872: A tornado touched down near Bogota, southwest of Newton in southeast Illinois. The tornado, estimated at F3 intensity, destroyed barns, homes, and timber. Three people were killed in homes about a mile apart.


• 1988: High winds affected Illinois, with the northeast part of the state hit hardest. In Chicago, 97 windows were blown out of the Sears Tower, and the state's oldest tree, estimated to be 700 years old, was blown over. Wind gusts reached 75 mph at the Chicago lakefront, 60 mph in Bloomington, and 59 mph at Decatur.

April 7:

• 1948: A violent tornado in northeast Illinois touched down 2 miles northwest of Manteno, and tracked into Indiana. Three people were killed north of Grant Park, with 25 injured. Other strong tornadoes in the area moved from near Coal City to Braidwood, and from Calumet City into Indiana. Further south, 2 strong tornadoes occurred across the northern parts of Champaign and Vermilion Counties.


• 1998: Severe thunderstorms moved across central Illinois during the afternoon hours, producing nearly two dozen tornadoes. Many of these tornadoes were in Mason County, with the town of Bath receiving the worst damage. Further east, a tornado in Moultrie County touched down south of Cadwell, and moved to Bourbon in Douglas County. 9 homes were damaged or destroyed, as well as numerous outbuildings. Ahead of the tornado, the town of Arthur received softball size hail.

April 8:

• 1999: Several tornadoes touched down across central Illinois, as a complex of severe thunderstorms moved across the region. In Hancock County, the town of Hamilton had significant damage, with 144 homes destroyed or damaged by a tornado of F3 strength. Two radio and TV towers were also destroyed. Damages totaled to about $10 million. In far southeast Cass County, one person was killed in Ashland, when a tornado hit a trailer park. Damage in Ashland was estimated around $1.8 million. Further east, another tornado destroyed a trailer north of Cisco, killing a second person.

April 9:

• 1953: The first radar image of a tornado was detected by equipment at the University of Illinois Airport, south of Champaign. Studies of the radar pictures from that day showed that a tornado of significant size and intensity could be detected, identified by a hook shape on the southwestern edge of a thunderstorm.


• 1982: The second of two late-season snowstorms affected much of Illinois over a 3-day period ending on this date. The heaviest snowfall was reported from near Peoria southwest to Macomb, with up to 7 inches of snow. Snowfall in excess of 5 inches was found in a wide area extending from Quincy east to Bloomington.


• 2015: Eleven tornadoes occurred across Illinois; 6 of the tornadoes in north central Illinois came from a single supercell thunderstorm. A violent tornado, EF4 strength, tracked across portions of Lee, Ogle, DeKalb, and Boone Counties. This tornado caused two fatalities in Fairdale, and was the first violent tornado in northern Illinois in 25 years.

April 10:

• 1997: An April winter storm in parts of central Illinois began during the morning hours on this date and continued into the 11th. The heaviest snowfall was reported in an area from Galesburg to the north side of Peoria to north of Bloomington. Snowfall totals included 13.5 inches in Galesburg, 11.5 inches in Chillicothe, 11 inches in Minonk, and 6 inches at the Peoria Airport. Snowfall quickly tapered off to the south, with little or no snowfall from Lincoln southward.

April 11:

• 1965: A violent tornado in northeastern Illinois took the lives of 6 people near Crystal Lake. In a single subdivision, 45 homes were destroyed and 110 had major damage. The tornado touched down near Crystal Lake, and ended 2 miles north of Wauconda. $1.5 million damage was reported. A separate tornado in Lake County started as a waterspout on Druce Lake, and moved east to near Gurnee.


• 1994: Very heavy rainfall led to flash flooding across central Illinois on the 11th and 12th. Rainfall totals ranged as high as 5-1/4 inches in less than 6 hours. Two people drowned while trying to drive across flooded roads in Sangamon and Montgomery Counties.

April 12:

• 1903: A tornado touched down 2 miles southeast of Lincoln, and moved northeast to Waynesville. The tornado peaked at F2 intensity. No deaths were reported. Another tornado touched down in Douglas County, 4 miles northeast of Atwood, killing a mother and baby.


• 1945: A family of tornadoes moved across Adams County, accompanied by downburst winds. Damage in Quincy was reported to be $2.2 million, with significant damage to the business district, including the loss of the courthouse dome.


• 2012: Widespread temperatures in the 20s occurred on the 11th and 12th. Because of the unseasonably warm weather over the previous few weeks, many crops and plants were growing well ahead of schedule. These were significantly damaged by the freezing temperatures.

April 13:

• 1981: Severe thunderstorms were widespread across Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours. Widespread damage was reported due to hail and wind. The largest hail, 3 inches in diameter, fell at Princeton, in Bureau County. Farmer City, in DeWitt County, had a wind gust of 70 mph. The storms also spawned several tornadoes in the central third of the state. One fatality resulted during the storms. At Kincaid, in Christian County, lightning struck a telephone line, traveled into a house, and blew up a phone, killing the person who was talking on the phone at the time.


• 1998: A microburst produced winds around 80 mph in Girard, in northern Macoupin County. Damage occurred in a 6 to 8 block area. Power lines were downed, and fallen trees and limbs damaged several homes and a car.

April 14:

• 1980: A late-season, 3-day snowstorm produced a total of 7.3 inches of snow in Springfield, with 6.1 of those inches falling on this date.


• 1994: Rivers across central Illinois were at significant flood levels due to the heavy rain from the 11th. At Danville, the Vermilion River crested at a record 31.6 feet, nearly 14 feet above flood stage. Damage to the water treatment plant there was estimated at $10 million.

April 15:

• 1982: Numerous thunderstorms moved across east central Illinois over a 4-hour period. Villa Grove, in Douglas County, received 2-1/2 inches of rain, causing the Embarras River to overflow. Several streets in towns were under 3 feet of water, and many basements were flooded. Damage from the flooding was around $10,000.


• 1998: Two tornadoes touched down in Clay County, in southeast Illinois, as a severe thunderstorm moved across the area. Most of the damage was in the Flora area. 60 to 70 moving railroad cars were blown off the tracks. 40 to 50 condominiums were damaged or destroyed, along with several frame houses and a couple mobile homes. A tornado also touched down north of Flora, then moved to Richland County before lifting. Overall damage was over $2 million.

April 16:

• 1961: A late season snowstorm dumped 5 to 6 inches of snow in parts of central and northeast Illinois, with drifts up to 6 feet. Thousands of cars were stranded; the occupants were forced to take shelter overnight in nearby homes, gymnasiums, armories, and roller rinks.


• 2006: Easter Sunday brought another round of tornadoes to central and southeast Illinois. Ten tornadoes were reported primarily south of I-72, with the strongest tornadoes affecting areas along the Effingham/Jasper County line around Wheeler. In Macon County, several homes were damaged near Oakley by a thunderstorm downburst producing winds to 110 mph. By the end of April, a total of 50 tornadoes had already been reported across central and southeast Illinois for the year to date.

April 17:

• 1922: A violent tornado, close to F5 strength at times, moved across Kankakee County before continuing into Indiana. The worst damage was in Bourbonnais, Bradley, Exline, and in populated areas north of Kankakee. Several houses completely disappeared. Another violent tornado touched down a few miles north of Ogden, in eastern Champaign County, then moved eastward through Vermilion County. Two people were killed north of Ogden.


• 1982: Two late-season snowstorms earlier in the month led to an April record snowfall of 13.4 inches at Peoria. The normal April snowfall is just under an inch.

April 18:

• 1880: A violent tornado, estimated at F4 intensity, touched down north of Rockford near Rockton, moving northeast to near Beloit, WI. Two farms were swept away in Illinois, killing one person in Illinois near the Wisconsin state line.


• 1996: Severe thunderstorms moved across central Illinois, producing large hail in many locations, as well as one tornado. This tornado moved across the southeast part of Decatur during the late evening, producing $1.5 million damage and injuring 9 people.

April 19:

• 1927: Illinois' 10th deadliest tornado outbreak on record took a path across the central part of Illinois, killing 21 people. The first tornado touched down near Hardin, traveling northeast through Carrollton, then skimmed the south side of Springfield. At Carrollton, a teacher was killed as she held the door of the school shut, saving the lives of her students. The second tornado, peaking at F4 intensity, touched down on the southeast edge of Springfield, then moved on to affect the towns of Riverton, Buffalo Hart, Chestnut, and Cornland. In Buffalo Hart, only three houses were left standing, while the northern half of Cornland was leveled. The tornado track was 65 miles, ending in Ford County.


• 1996: Illinois’ largest 1-day tornado outbreak (to date) occurred during the afternoon and evening hours. In central Illinois, 20 tornadoes moved across the area. One severe thunderstorm spawned several tornadoes from west of Jacksonville, to just west of Springfield, through Decatur and Urbana, and east to Ogden. The Decatur area, which had also been hit by a tornado the night before, sustained about $9 million damage, with 27 people injured. Further east, up to $11 million damage occurred in Urbana, where 30 homes were destroyed and 80 more were damaged. Another tornado moved through Ogden, destroying 68 homes and numerous other businesses and public institutions. One person was killed just east of Ogden, when a semi was overturned on I-74. Strong tornadoes were also reported in Mason and southwest McLean Counties.

April 20:

• 2000: Severe thunderstorms rolled west to east across central Illinois throughout the morning hours. These storms produced tornado touchdowns near Illiopolis and Forsyth, and another tornado tracked from near Oreana to Argenta. This latter tornado lifted the roof off a home 2 miles northeast of Oreana, and part of a roof in Argenta was lifted off. Earlier in the morning, the storms produced winds up to 85 mph in Cass, Tazewell and Menard Counties, causing damage to buildings, trees and power lines. In Tazewell County, a radio tower in Groveland was blown over, causing $500,000 damage, and near Washington, an airport hangar was destroyed, damaging 3 planes.


• 2004: A strong tornado (F3 intensity) moved across the town of Utica, near LaSalle-Peru in north central Illinois. This tornado destroyed several homes, a machinery building, and a tavern. The roof of the tavern collapsed, killing eight people inside; many of these people had come into town from nearby mobile homes, seeking sturdier shelter. The tornado dissipated on a steep bluff on the northeast side of town. Another tornado developed shortly afterward, crossing I-80 near Ottawa. Several other tornadoes developed across north central and northeast Illinois, affecting areas around Joliet and Kankakee.

April 21:

• 1967: Northern Illinois was struck by 17 tornadoes, including several in the Chicago metropolitan area. One violent tornado moved through Belvidere, killing 24 people and injuring another 450, including 13 deaths at the local high school. Damage to Belvidere totaled about 420 million, including destruction of 400 cars at the Chrysler plant. A marriage certificate from Belvidere was found south of Milwaukee, WI. A school bus south of Harvard was ripped in half, as the driver and students hid in a ditch. A second violent tornado touched down in Elgin and moved northeast to Lake Zurich, causing $10 million damage. A third violent tornado touched down near Palos Hills and moved across the south side of Chicago to Lake Michigan. This tornado struck during Friday rush hour, and many of the 33 deaths and 500 injuries occurred in vehicles stopped at traffic lights. Over $50 million damage was reported from the tornado outbreak.


• 2002: A tornado moved across Wayne County, in southeast Illinois. The tornado passed through the southern part of Fairfield with F3 intensity winds. One person was killed in a mobile home west of Wayne City. 42 people were injured, 13 critically. A total of 35 homes were destroyed, and 16 received major damage.

April 22:

• 1888: An early evening tornado hit the south edge of DuQuoin, injuring three people. A two story brick building was leveled, and barns lost their roofs. A train engineer saw the funnel approach the town, and was able to stop the train in time to let the tornado pass.


• 1963: A tornado caused a path of destruction from Illiopolis (far eastern Sangamon County) eastward to Decatur. One man was carried 200 yards; he died from his injuries several days later. The storm also produced two inch diameter hail in Decatur. The path of the tornado was nearly identical to the tornado which later affected the area on April 19, 1996. Another tornado moved from Oreana to southeast of Philo, with a third tornado touching down just east of Tuscola and moving east into Indiana.

April 23:

• 2013: Due to excessive rainfall and snow melt earlier in the month, record flooding was in progress along the Illinois River. Peoria set its all-time record river stage of 29.35 feet on this date. Records were set upstream at Henry (32.81 feet) the previous day, and downstream at Havana (27.78 feet) and Beardstown (29.81 feet) on the 27th. The previous flood of record for most of these locations occurred in May 1943.

April 24:

• 1880: Several tornadoes affected parts of central and southwest Illinois. One tornado of F4 intensity touched down near Jerseyville and killed one person along an 18 mile path. Another F4 tornado passed just north of Carlinville and lifted near Atwater, destroying 50 buildings. Six people were killed in Christian County by an F5 tornado, which tracked from 9 miles southwest of Taylorville to near Sharpsburg. A fourth tornado touched down a few miles southeast of Springfield and moved northeast to Dawson.


• 1961: A tornado traveled a 75 mile path across west central Illinois. The tornado touched down southeast of Quincy, moving through Winchester (Scott County), before lifting southwest of Springfield. Three people were injured at Winchester, and many buildings were damaged.

April 25:

• 1986: Unseasonably hot weather prevailed across central Illinois. High temperatures of 92 degrees at Peoria and 90 degrees at Springfield both tied April records.

April 26:

• 1994: Severe thunderstorms worked their way across Illinois during the evening hours. These storms produced hail as large as golf balls, as well as damaging winds. In east central parts of the state, brief tornado touchdowns were reported near Arcola and Cooks Mills, producing over 1/2 million dollars in damage.

April 27:

• 1971: A strong tornado in Franklin County, in southern Illinois, moved through Thompsonville. This tornado destroyed 8 homes, 3 commercial buildings, and 5 trailers. One person was killed, with 20 injured.


• 1984: A strong tornado touched down 8 miles southwest of Plainfield, in northeast Illinois, and lifted just southeast of town. This tornado damaged 43 homes, of which 14 were nearly destroyed. Large wooden beams were driven into nearby homes. One person was killed.

April 28:

• 1956: A tornado touched down northwest of Litchfield, damaging the roofs of two farm houses and threw 2-ton grain bins for 100 yards. Two people drowned when a boat was overturned on a lake.


• 1996: Strong winds between 40 and 50 mph, with gusts over 60 mph, caused damage across a large area of central Illinois. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down, with some damage occurring to buildings. In Charleston, part of the roof was blown off a high school. At Pana, a window was blown out of a building and the roof of that building sustained some damage. In Macon County, a tree fell onto a car in Forsyth.


• 2017: Two rounds of significant rain occurred in southern Illinois, one from the 28-29th, and the other from the 29th-30th. Rainfall totals of 5 to 8 inches were widespread, with some 8 to 10 inch totals near Carbondale and Carmi. The highest rainfall totals were 11.75 inches at Johnston City and 11.27 inches at Carterville. Major flooding occurred on portions of the Mississippi, Big Muddy, and Little Wabash Rivers as a result.

April 29:

• 1947: A tornado damaged several homes and destroyed a tavern and several garages in the western part of Kingston Mines, in southern Peoria County. The tornado was seen by thousands of people in Pekin, where debris would soon rain down. A second tornado hit Kingston Mines about 15 minutes later, destroying the post office, barns, and 2 taverns, one of which lost its roof in the previous tornado.


• 1998: A series of severe thunderstorms developed over Logan and McLean Counties, mainly along I-55, causing flash flooding. Lincoln recorded 4 inches of rain in 3 hours. Most of the flooding was in an area from Lincoln to Ellsworth. Over 1,000 buildings in Logan County sustained water damage. Damage was estimated around $1.5 million.

April 30:

• 1962: A squall line moved from St. Louis northeast to Chicago. The area from Hardin to Springfield to Hoopeston was greatly affected, as was the area from Pontiac to Joliet to Chicago. The southern end of the squall line experienced winds of 55 to 90 mph, while the northern end had winds of 65 to 110 mph with unofficial gusts to 135 mph. At Rantoul, two people were killed by falling debris. In Springfield, a boy was killed when a chimney fell through a school roof.


• 1997: A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours. Several tornadoes, most of them weak, were produced, as well as strong winds gusts as high as 70 mph. The most damaging tornado occurred in Fulton County, when two separate thunderstorms merged. In the town of Fairview, several homes were damaged, with two people injured. In Middle Grove, the tornado destroyed two mobile homes and damaged 25 houses. The tornado then took an intermittent northeast track across Fulton, southeast Knox, western Peoria, and Stark Counties. Other tornadoes touched down in Macon, McLean, Adams, Hancock, and Montgomery Counties.

May Weather Trivia

May 1:

• 1983: Several tornadoes occurred in the eastern St. Louis metropolitan area. The strongest originated in St. Louis, then moved across the Mississippi River, passing through Granite City and Edwardsville. This storm caused $400,000 damage. Another tornado near Lebanon injured 20 people. Further north, a tornado in Greenfield injured 15 people and caused extensive damage.


• 2011: Copious rainfall in southeast Illinois occurred in late April and early May. This resulted in serious river flooding over parts of the Wabash and Embarras River basins. The Embarras River at Lawrenceville, and the Wabash River at Hutsonville, each crested at 11 feet over flood stage. Three breeches occurred in the Cross Levee in Lawrence County on the 3rd, resulting in extensive flash flooding.

May 2:

• 1929: A large part of central and southern Illinois saw its first measurable May snowfall on record. A large swath of the state, from around St. Louis to the southern tip of Lake Michigan, observed 2 to 4 inches of snow during the morning and early afternoon hours, with some totals around 5 inches between Decatur and the St. Louis metro area. Most of the snow melted by evening. Trees were fully covered in leaves in many cases, allowing the heavy, wet snow to collect. Windy conditions helped break branches and even entire trees in some cases. Damage to fruit trees was in the thousands of dollars.


• 1942: A family of strong tornadoes moved across central Illinois. Tornadoes touched down in eastern Morgan County, then moved northeast. The tornadoes hit south of New Berlin, then moved across far northwestern Springfield, passing south of Elkhart, and lifting near Waynesville, in DeWitt County. In the town of Franklin, 105 homes were damaged or destroyed, with some debris carried four miles. One person died, and 12 were injured.

May 3:

• 1868: A tornado traveled 15 miles across Warren and Knox Counties, northwest of Galesburg. The small town of Ionia was destroyed in Warren County. 16 homes and 2 churches in Ionia were destroyed, along with 30 homes elsewhere. The tornado killed 6 people and injured 40. Many of the casualties occurred during a church service, when the church roof was lifted and dropped into the congregation.


• 1958: A tornado in Vermillion County, IN, moved north northwest into Edgar County, IL. Damage from this tornado was confined to the Indiana section. This is believed to be one of the few, if not the only, tornadoes to move from Indiana into Illinois.


• 1996: Severe thunderstorms affected parts of central and eastern Illinois during the evening. Golf ball size hail was reported on the east side of Springfield as well as at Riverton. South of Xenia in Clay County, hail reached the size of baseballs. The storms also produced strong winds which caused damage to some buildings and telephone poles.

May 4:

• 1992: A tornado was observed 4 miles southeast of Hopedale, in Tazewell County, damaging trees, power lines, and some buildings. The thunderstorm that produced this tornado also produced brief tornado touchdowns at Cooksville and Lexington, both in McLean County.

May 5:

• 1977: Severe thunderstorms moved across central and northeast Illinois during the evening hours. The town of Atlanta, in northeast Logan County, was hit by a tornado, destroying 4 homes and severely damaging 12 others. The tornado moved northeast for about 10 miles, lifting just southwest of Bloomington.

May 6:

• 1876: A tornado, estimated at F3 intensity, tracked 4 miles across Chicago, collapsing many buildings downtown. The damaged buildings included a candy factory, a hospital, a freight depot, and a church. The tornado moved out over Lake Michigan, and was observed by a reporter to have multiple vortices. Further south in Illinois, across Cumberland County, a tornado blew a moving passenger train off the tracks near Neoga, injuring all 19 people aboard.


• 1983: A dust storm, unusual in Illinois, affected central and northeast parts of the state. The dust was kicked up from freshly plowed farm fields, and blown northeast by winds up to 60 mph. The dust reduced visibility in some areas to near zero. Numerous accidents resulted, including one near Rantoul which involved 9 cars and 2 semi-trailers.


• 2003: A violent tornado tracked across the southern tip of Illinois. The tornado touched down near Grand Chain in Pulaski County, moving east to near Joppa in Massac County, before curving northeast and lifting near Golconda in Pope County, a total of 33 miles and 1 hour 10 minutes. Two people were killed and 33 injured. The tornado caused severe damage to the forested region of the area, as well as to a few dozen homes and trailers. The storms also produced an estimated wind gust of 125 mph northeast of Metropolis.

May 7:

• 1992: Very dry weather prevailed in northern and central Illinois during the month. Records for the driest May were set in Chicago, Moline, and Rockford. Springfield reported 0.52 inches of rain during the month, while Peoria had 0.82 inches; both finished as the second driest May on record.

May 8:

• 1988: Severe thunderstorms moved across northern and central Illinois. Winds gusted to 81 mph in Rockford, 75 mph in Pontiac, over 80 mph east of Springfield, and over 70 mph east of Peoria. Damage was reported to dozens of trees and power lines down. $1.5 million damage occurred to buildings in East Peoria, with $1 million damage in Greene County.


• 1996: Slow moving thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain over a large part of central and eastern Illinois. In Sangamon County, up to 600 homes were affected by flooding, although most damage was minor. At the Springfield airport, the rain total of 3.54 inches was a record for the date, and was the 2nd highest total on record for a single day during May. The storms were also responsible for an 80 mph wind gust which caused damage near Loami and Glenarm, in southern Sangamon County. In Lawrence County of southeast Illinois, nearly the entire town of Birds was evacuated due to flood waters.


• 2000: Severe thunderstorms caused damage in portions of west central Illinois during the afternoon. A tornado touched down near Shamrock (McLean County), causing damage to several machine sheds and barns, and a home 2 miles northwest of Downs received major damage. Another tornado touched down west of Parkland, in Tazewell County, destroying 4 grain bins and blowing a machine shed 100 yards. In Woodford County, a 27-mile-long area received damage to trees, power poles, and power lines, and several machine sheds were destroyed by winds gusting as high as 80 mph.

May 9:

• 1927: A tornado touched down 5 miles east of Morrisonville, in southwestern Christian County, then moved northeast to Decatur. In Christian County, the tornado killed one person and caused 67 injuries. The tornado widened in the Decatur area, did minor damage to over 1,000 homes, and injured around 50 people.


• 1995: Severe weather struck central Illinois, with numerous reports of hail and tornadoes. The strongest tornado originated northwest of Springfield around 5 pm, moving northeast. It affected areas along the Menard/Sangamon County border, especially the small town of Cantrall. The tornado then moved into southern Logan County through the town of Elkhart. The tornado was on the ground for 40 miles, finally lifting in eastern Logan County, about 5 miles northeast of the town of Beason. Six people were injured by these tornadoes, with damage estimated around $10 million. Severe thunderstorms also produced two strong tornadoes in northwest parts of Illinois, each of which traveled over 40 miles.

May 10:

• 1880: A tornado estimated to be F4 intensity moved across 20 miles of Scott and Morgan Counties. The tornado touched down near Alsey and moved northeast, passing 8 miles south of Jacksonville. The tornado was strongest in the Pisgah area, where 30 buildings were destroyed. Seven people were killed. Further east, an F3 tornado touched down just north of Clinton, and moved northeast to near Arrowsmith, across DeWitt and McLean Counties.


• 1996: Thunderstorms produced 3 to 5 inches of rain across parts of east central Illinois during the morning, leading to flash floods. In southern Champaign County, the town of Broadlands sustained major flood damage to 5 homes and minor damage to another 29, as well as to the local high school. In Vermilion County, parts of Danville had to be evacuated after flood gates were opened on Lake Vermilion.


• 2003: Several tornadoes touched down during the evening across central and western Illinois. A long track tornado caused extensive damage in eastern parts of South Pekin, destroying 50 homes and damaging another 80. The tornado moved into Morton, destroying several apartment buildings and damaging many vehicles on I-155 and I-74. Over 100 homes in Morton were damaged.

May 11:

• 1952: A few snow flurries fell on Springfield, establishing the date of the city's latest snowfall on record.


• 2008: Unseasonably strong low pressure moved across central Illinois during the daytime hours on Mothers Day. The strong pressure gradient produced widespread wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, with local gusts over 60 mph. The winds blew down numerous tree limbs, and a few trees.

May 12:

• 1886: A tornado which peaked at F4 intensity touched down in Vermilion County near Armstrong, and passed between Alvin and Rossville before moving into Indiana. At least 5 houses were destroyed, two of which were totally swept away. Three people were killed. Five other strong tornadoes occurred across Illinois that day: two near Mt. Carroll, one near Odell, one near Jacksonville, and one in Iroquois County.


• 1978: A severe thunderstorm spawned a tornado which moved across 31 miles of Macoupin and Montgomery Counties. The tornado touched down near Shipman and lifted northeast of Farmersville, causing $245,000 damage. Later, a second tornado moved through Decatur, damaging 43 residences and 3 mobile homes.


• 2000: Severe thunderstorms produced hail up to tennis ball size from Eureka to Roanoke, causing $300,000 damage to 100 cars. This was part of a cluster of severe thunderstorms, producing hail in a large area from the Illinois River to the Indiana border. Weak tornadoes were also produced near Hartsburg in Logan County, and near Dawson in Sangamon County.

May 13:

• 1995: The second major tornado outbreak in a week struck central Illinois. This outbreak produced tornadoes in an area extending from the Mississippi River near Burlington, Iowa, to west of Bloomington. Two violent tornadoes, each ranked as F4 intensity, were reported. The first tornado traveled 60 miles from near Fort Madison, Iowa, to southeast of Galesburg, producing over $10 million damage. The second violent tornado traveled 7 miles across Fulton County from Ipava to Lewistown, producing $6 million damage. Another strong tornado took a 25 mile path across parts of Fulton, Mason, and Tazewell Counties. The storms also produced softball-size hail south and northwest of Macomb.


• 2002: Water runoff from storms on the 12th caused a continuation of flood problems across central and southeast Illinois. Several state highways in southeast Illinois were closed due to flooding. In Jasper County, an elderly woman had to be evacuated from her home due to rising flood waters, and another person had to be rescued after driving into a flooded area. In Effingham County, several motorists drove into flooded roadways and had to be rescued. Several people in Villa Grove (Douglas County) had to be evacuated via boat due to rising waters. Near Riverton, a levee breeched on the Sangamon River, flooding farmland. Several water treatment plants around Sangamon County, and the power plant in Springfield, had to be sandbagged to prevent flooding of the facilities.

May 14:

• 1961: A tornado tracked from near Quincy to Macomb, injuring 8 people. Another tornado touched down in western Sangamon County, moving from New Berlin to near Pleasant Plains, destroying several buildings.


• 1985: Severe thunderstorms developed in De Witt County, located between Bloomington and Decatur, and moved northward. The storms produced a wind gust of 73 mph at the Bloomington airport. In the Marshall County town of Wenona, winds up to 100 mph destroyed several barns and farm buildings. LaSalle County had 2 inch diameter hail and 60 mph winds; in Mendota, nearly every building in town sustained some damage.

May 15:

• 1968: During a 55 minute span, six tornadoes moved through De Witt County. The primary damage zone occurred in the northern part of the county from Waynesville to Farmer City, with the most severe damage in Wapella. Four people were killed and 56 injured in the Wapella and Waynesville areas. This outbreak was one of 3 which moved across central Illinois that day. Besides the tornadoes, a large area of 7 to 10 inches of rain fell in parts of DeWitt, Macon, Piatt, and Champaign Counties.


• 1991: A flash flood threatened 16 children and 3 adults on a field trip in Little Grand Canyon, in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. While trying to escape the rising waters, a teacher and three children fell into a creek and were swept downstream about a mile. They were later rescued by helicopter.

May 16:

• 1995: Flash flooding was widespread across central Illinois as strong thunderstorms moved across the area. 3-4 inches of rain fell in a few hours. Flooding in and around Lincoln produced $2 million damage.


• 2002: Most rivers across central and southeast Illinois were in flood, due to runoff from heavier rain several days earlier. The Embarras River at Lawrenceville crested at record levels on this date, while the Sangamon River crested from the 14th through 16th at 2nd to 3rd highest levels on record. The Illinois River would crest later in the month around the third highest levels on record.


• 2025: Several tornadoes occurred across southern Illinois. One tornado was rated EF4 across southern Williamson County, with peak wind speeds around 190 mph. Numerous homes were destroyed, and a newer 2-story home was completely swept off its foundation.

May 17:

• 1991: Severe thunderstorms moved across Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours. Baseball-size hail was reported at Oakwood in Vermilion County, with 2 inch diameter hail at Minonk, in Woodford County. In Logan County, a semi was overturned in Elkhart due to 80 mph winds; several trees were also blown over.


• 2017: A dust storm affected central Illinois from mid afternoon into mid evening. Visibility was reduced to near zero in open areas, and caused closure of several roads. This included I-72 from Jacksonville to Springfield, and I-55 from McLean to Bloomington. Winds gusting from 40 to 50 mph, dry topsoil, and loose soil from recent planting, combined to produce the blowing dust. Further northwest, severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes in Rock Island, Mercer, and Henry Counties.

May 18:

• 1883: The 5th deadliest tornado outbreak on record in Illinois affected northern and central parts of the state. At least 14 strong to violent tornadoes touched down, and 52 people were killed in these storms. The largest death toll from a single tornado was 12, with 50 injuries, from an F4 storm which moved across Morgan, Cass, and Menard Counties from near Jacksonville to 5 miles west of Petersburg. This tornado completely destroyed the town of Literberry. Another tornado, which peaked at F4 intensity, killed 11 people and injured 50 along its path from the south edge of Springfield northeast to near Kenney, in DeWitt County. This particular tornado reportedly drove 10 inch by 12 inch oak timbers 10 feet into the ground. An F4 tornado in far northern Illinois touched down near Capron, and tracked for 17 miles before lifting in far southern Wisconsin. Three people near Alden were killed. Other strong to violent tornadoes affected areas around Grafton, Mt. Olive, Shipman, Mason City, Hillsboro, and Pesotum.


• 2000: A series of thunderstorms formed and moved over a two county area of east central Illinois, over a 2 and a half hour period. Over $4 million worth of damage was reported. The most intense damage was reported in the Jamaica and Georgetown (Vermilion County) areas. Georgetown was hit twice within an hour's time by baseball sized hail. A greenhouse sustained major damage. Thousands of cars sustained major hail damage. Also, hundreds of homes and businesses had windows broken out, and siding damaged. In Jamaica, the high school sustained around $300,000 in damage to its facilities. In Pesotum (Champaign County), eleven Illinois State Patrol squad cars sustained hail damage, totaling $24,000. No injuries were reported. Further north, severe thunderstorms in the Chicago metropolitan area blew down over 1000 trees in Highland Park, and produced a wind gust to 84 mph in Wheeling. A man in Wilmette was killed when a tree fell on his car.

May 19:

• 1943: Many rivers in central Illinois were affected by record flooding during May of 1943. On the Sangamon River, a record crest of 31.52 feet occurred at Riverton on this date. Downstream, a stage of 33.9 feet at Petersburg on the 20th resulted in large sections of the town being flooded.

May 20:

• 2013: Springtime of 2013 saw 20.79 inches of rain fall in the Peoria area. This established the city's wettest Spring on record. Meteorological Spring is considered to be the months of March, April, and May.


• 2022: An EF2 strength tornado touched down in Wabash County southwest of Mt. Carmel, moving northeast before crossing the Wabash River into Indiana. Significant damage was reported aorund Mt. Carmel.

May 21:

• 1949: South central Illinois was affected by several tornadoes during the late afternoon hours. One affected areas around Mount Sterling, destroying several barns and unroofing many homes. A violent tornado crossed the Mississippi River from the St. Louis area into Wood River, then to Roxanna. This tornado damaged or destroyed 300 homes in these two towns, killing 5 people. Another violent tornado in southeast Illinois caused significant damage in Palestine, before the storm moved into Indiana. Four people were killed in a destroyed restaurant in Palestine; one body was retrieved from a tree.


• 2014: Severe thunderstorms in east central Illinois produced hail of tennis ball to grapefruit size, in parts of Douglas and Piatt Counties. The largest hail was in Tuscola, where 4 inch diameter hail broke out car windows, and caused severe roof damage to many buildings. Damage estimates in Tuscola were reported to be as much as $100 million.

May 22:

• 1873: A violent tornado, estimated at F4 intensity, moved across west central Illinois. It touched down about 5 miles southwest of Roseville and tracked due east, passing just outside of Youngstown and about 1.5 miles north of Prairie City, before lifting across Fulton County. At least a dozen farms were completely devastated, with another 40 damaged to some degree. 3 people were killed, and 28 injured, along the tornado’s 16 mile track.

May 23:

• 1878: A tornado in northeast Illinois, which peaked at F4 intensity, touched down 6 miles east northeast of Elgin, and moved to near Barrington. Newspaper reports indicated the tornado lifted for brief periods of time. A farm house was carried 150 feet high before shattering, killing the two occupants.


• 1943: Record flooding was in progress along the Illinois River. Peoria reported a crest of 28.8 feet on this date, marking its highest crest on record. Downstream, record crests occurred at Havana on the 25th, at 27.2 feet, and at Beardstown on the 26th, at 29.7 feet.

May 24:

• 1943: Champaign recorded 11.20 inches of rain during the month of May, setting a record for the month, and is the third wettest of any month on record. Springfield recorded 10.60 inches during the month, finishing as its fourth wettest May on record.

May 25:

• 1989: Severe thunderstorms rolled across central and southern Illinois during the early afternoon. In Carlinville, hail of 2-1/2 inches in diameter caused $1 million damage, including 55 broken windows at the Macoupin County Courthouse. Six people were injured. Tennis-ball size hail fell at Litchfield. In Vandalia, baseball size hail caused $4 million damage at the correctional center. The hail caused major roof damage and 1,000 broken windows, and even cracked 19 bullet-proof windows. Baseball size hail was also reported south of Effingham.

May 26:

• 1859: Severe weather in central Illinois produced several tornadoes during the late afternoon and early evening. The worst tornado touched down in Scott County near Manchester, then moving eastward, passing about 10 miles south of Jacksonville. The tornado was described by eyewitnesses as being balloon-shaped. 35 homes and many outbuildings were destroyed. 11 people died, and 50 were injured along the 12-mile path.


• 1917: A major tornadic thunderstorm tracked west to east across the state during the afternoon, as part of Illinois’ 3rd deadliest tornado disaster on record. Once believed to have produced a single tornado with a path 293 miles long, later study indicated it yielded 4 to 8 separate tornadoes. The first touchdown was about 20 miles southeast of Quincy. The tornadic storm tracked due east before beginning a southeast curve near Charleston. The tornado event lasted over 7 hours. The towns of Mattoon and Charleston bore the brunt of the storm. Damage from this severe tornado in Mattoon was about 2.5 blocks wide and 2.5 miles long, with over 700 houses destroyed, while the Charleston portion was 600 yards wide and 1.5 miles long, with 220 homes damaged. Damage in the two towns amounted to about $2 million, in 1917 dollars. 64 people were killed in Mattoon, and 34 were killed in Charleston. Overall, 108 people in Illinois were killed during the tornado outbreak, with 638 injured.

May 27:

• 1896: A tornado, which killed 137 people in St. Louis, moved across the Mississippi River and killed another 113 people in Illinois. The violent tornado severely affected the city of East St. Louis, where $2 million damage occurred. The Eads Bridge, reported to be tornado-proof after it was rebuilt from an 1871 tornado, had a 2x10 inch plank driven through 5/16 inch wrought iron, but no significant damage occurred to the bridge. After lifting for a short time, the tornado touched down again near Mascoutah and moved northeast. The second touchdown killed 24 people and damaged 100 homes in Mascoutah. This stands as the 2nd deadliest Illinois tornado outbreak on record.

May 28:

• 2014: A landspout tornado developed along a weak boundary north of Bloomington. While highly visible, it remained in open areas and caused no damage. A second landspout occurred southeast of Bloomington near Le Roy.

May 29:

• 1982: Two major tornadoes occurred in southern Illinois. The more severe of the two touched down northeast of Carbondale, then moved through Marion. The tornado, ranked as an F4, had multiple vortices within the main funnel. Extensive damage occurred at the Marion airport. A total of 10 people were killed, with 181 injured. 648 homes and 200 cars were damaged or destroyed, with total damages around $100 million.

May 30:

• 2003: Several tornadoes touched down in central Illinois during the early evening. The strongest tornadoes moved across Logan and De Witt Counties. One touched down 4 miles north of Lincoln and moved to Hallsville in De Witt County, while a second tornado moved from Hallsville to southeast of Clinton. These two tornadoes caused an estimated $10 million damage.


• 2005: After the unusually wet start to the year, drought conditions had begun to develop over Illinois. Statewide, the spring months amounted to the 4th driest spring on record. Rainfall in May was only 25 to 50 percent of normal, with moderate drought conditions developing over by the end of May. Princeville reported its driest spring on record, with only 3.85 inches of precipitation. Mattoon saw its second driest spring (4.75 inches), with rankings of 3rd driest at Peoria (4.16) and Havana (4.62).

May 31:

• 1858: A tornado moved east across Warren County and devastated the town of Ellison, about 14 miles southwest of Monmouth. Only 3 cabins were left standing. 19 people were killed, with 60 injured, along the tornado’s 5 mile track.


• 1934: Early season heat gripped central Illinois. Springfield reported its earliest triple-digit high temperature on record, with a temperature of 101 degrees.


• 1985: A dust storm occurred across the northern quarter of Illinois. Winds during the storm were 30 to 50 mph, with some gusts to 70 mph. Visibility in towns and cities was between 1 and 5 miles, but outlying areas near farm fields had local visibility less than 20 feet. Numerous accidents were caused by the low visibility, with one person killed and 22 injured. Soil erosion losses were estimated around $3 million.

June Weather Trivia

June 1:

• 1999: Severe thunderstorms produced many tornadoes around central Illinois. The most intense tornado touched down in Montgomery County south of Farmersville, and moved into southwest Christian County. One person was killed when a semi-trailer was overturned at a rest area on I-55. Tornadoes also touched down east of Pana, in Shelby County. Across eastern parts of the state, high winds up to 70 mph caused damage to trees, power lines, and some buildings. The Mattoon area also reported flooding from these storms, producing $3 million damage.

June 2:

• 1990: A two-day outbreak of tornadoes in the central U.S. produced 64 twisters, including 12 in Illinois. One tornado touched down in Shelby County near Westervelt and took an 8 mile path near Lake Shelbyville to northeast of Findlay, destroying 16 homes and damaging 60 others. Two violent tornados, rated at F4 intensity, moved across mainly rural areas of southeast Illinois; a third traveled 94 miles across southeast Illinois and southwest Indiana, causing extensive damage around Barnhill, Albion, and Mt. Carmel. In Edgar County, one tornado damaged 6 buildings near Grandview, and another tornado began an 11 mile track near Horace, damaging several farms.

June 3:

• 1860: The "Great Tornado of the Northwest" (actually a complex family of tornadoes) moved from Iowa into northern Illinois. The greatest death toll of 124 people occurred in an area extending from near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Albany, Illinois (located northeast of Moline). The death toll included 23 people on a raft, which was destroyed as the tornado moved across the Mississippi River.


• 1887: A tornado or waterspout touched down on the Wabash River, about 5 miles north of its mouth with the Ohio River. Three people drowned when a boat was overturned at Old Shawneetown.


• 1990: Strong winds to near 60 mph affected large areas of northern and east central Illinois. A 13-mile stretch of Interstate 57 was closed from Arcola to Mattoon due to blowing dust. Some damage occurred to trees, power lines, and roofs.

June 4:

• 1814: A severe weather outbreak occurred across portions of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. A tornado destroyed or unroofed homes at the edge of Kaskaskia, along the Mississippi River. Tornadoes also occurred near the Wabash River, across Lawrence and Wabash Counties. The tornado in Wabash County reportedly was up to a mile wide, and crossed into Indiana. Damage from this tornado in forested areas was still visible in 1876. Further south, a tornado crossing the Wabash River north of Shawneetown reportedly devastated the lower end of Wabash Island, killing 3 people on the Indiana side.


• 1877: A tornado of F4 intensity touched down just west of Mt. Carmel and moved east northeast, devastating the town. The touchdown occurred in a heavily wooded area, and many trees were thrown long distances. After crossing the Wabash River, the tornado tracked for another 5 miles across Indiana before dissipating. Twenty businesses and 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. At least 16 people, and as many as 30, were killed, with 100 injuries.


• 1999: Several tornadoes touched down across central Illinois, as severe thunderstorms moved through the area. A tornado moved across northern parts of Lincoln, with extensive tree damage in a park. High winds also produced damage to residences and trees in Lincoln. Damage to trees also occurred in Delavan, where a tornado moved across the north side of town. Other tornadoes that day were mainly weak, and brief in nature.

June 5:

• 1805: A family of tornadoes tracked from southeast Missouri across the southern third of Illinois, and may also have moved into southwest Indiana. These moved across the Mississippi River about 20 miles downstream from St. Louis. Fish were reportedly “scattered all over the prairie” on the Illinois side of the river. Some pine tree tops, not native to that area of Illinois, were believed to have been blown in from at least 50 miles. The easternmost documented damage was south of present-day Albion, in Edwards County. A straight line between these areas would indicate the tornadoes also tracked across present day Mount Vernon, but an exact track could not be determined due to lack of settlements across the region.


• 1960: A strong tornado took a 55 mile path across east central Illinois, from Bloomington south-southeast to Farmer City to Sadorus. Although the tornado was on the ground only part of the time, major damage occurred to farmsteads near Farmer City, Ivesdale, and Sadorus.

June 6:

• 1874: A tornado estimated to be F3 strength ripped apart the town of Tampico, in northwest Illinois. No deaths were reported, but 20 people were injured.


• 1987: Hail up to 3-1/2 inches in diameter fell in St. Clair County, in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Major damage occurred in Belleville, Cahokia, Freeburg, and Millstadt. Crops were smashed, and trees were stripped of leaves. $9 million damage was reported to vehicles, and $4.5 million damage to buildings.


• 2008: Strong thunderstorms pushed across southeast Illinois during the early morning, producing widespread rainfall of 3 to 7 inches. The highest total of 9.10 inches occurred south of Martinsville, in Clark County. Nearly 100 homes in the county were damaged from the resulting flash flooding, and high water closed every county road, as well as portions of I-70.

June 7:

• 1907: A violent tornado moved across Washington County, from near Covington to New Minden. Near the tornado’s endpoint, 4 people were killed while running to their storm cellar. Another violent tornado in southern Clark County destroyed or damaged every building in Old York. The tornado tracked for 15 miles, crossing into Indiana.


• 1993: Parts of the Chicago metropolitan area were flooded after thunderstorms produced 2-5 inches of rain in a 3 hour period. This type of rainstorm in that area has an average occurrence rate of once every 30-60 years. Over the period of a day, up to 6.50 inches of rain fell, producing one of greater floods noted in that area.


• 2008: A single supercell thunderstorm developed over western Illinois, and moved east to the Indiana border. It produced 8 different tornadoes along its path, including some of the southern Chicago suburbs. Four of the tornadoes were rated EF2 in strength.

June 8:

• 1883: A tornado estimated to be F2 intensity moved across Springfield from southwest to northeast. The tornado was on the ground for 4 miles and unroofed homes, but no deaths or injuries were reported.


• 1981: Severe thunderstorms in northeast and central Illinois produced hail the size of grapefruits at Kankakee. One tornado traveled along a 77 mile intermittent path from Brooklyn, in Schuyler County, east-southeastward to near Springfield. A second tornado was on the ground intermittently for 80 miles, originating southeast of Pekin and traveling to Mahomet, northwest of Champaign. Minor damage resulted from both tornadoes.


• 1993: Severe thunderstorms moved across northern and central Illinois during the early evening hours. The storms produced winds near 70 mph south of Springfield and west of Pawnee. A small tornado developed from the system and moved through Illiopolis, damaging over 5 dozen buildings. Other tornadoes touched down near Decatur and Champaign.


• 2025: A thunderstorm developed near Rochelle and gradually intensified as it moved along the I-88 corridor to the Chicago metro. As it passed through Batavia, it produced tennis ball size hail, along with a measured wind gust of 83 mph.

June 9:

• 1911: Springfield recorded a high temperature of 101 degrees, setting a record for the date. This was also the first triple-digit temperature recorded in the city since 1901.


• 1966: A tornado in Cook County produced intermittent damage from Hoffman Estates to the north edge of Prospect Heights. About 80 families were left homeless in Arlington Heights, after a home and several apartment buildings lost their roofs. Damage was estimated at $4 million.

June 10:

• 1902: A tornado touched down a few miles east of Canton and moved through Kingston Mines, in southwest Peoria County. Two people were killed near Canton, but much of the damage occurred in the Kingston Mines area, where 16 homes were destroyed. 20 men and 18 engines were buried in the roundhouse there. Eight people were killed further east, when buildings were destroyed by strong winds.


• 2008: Runoff from excessive rainfall over the previous week led to record flooding along the Embarras River at Ste. Marie and Lawrenceville. A number of levee breeches occurred between the 8th and 10th, along the Embarras and Wabash Rivers. In Lawrence County, 75 square miles were flooded as a result. In Lawrenceville, 158 homes were flooded in the first floor living area, with 48 others having basement flooding. Eight businesses had in excess of 5 feet of water inside.

June 11:

• 1928: A tornado across far northeast Illinois moved across McHenry County, destroying a school, barn and granaries near Harvard. Another tornado on May 18th of the same year affected areas a few miles to the north.

June 12:

• 1928: Champaign's coolest June on record occurred in 1928, with an average temperature of 65.4 degrees, about 6 degrees below normal. Springfield and Peoria both established their second coolest June during this year.

June 13:

• 1857: A tornado destroyed 25 houses and damaged 50 others in Pana, in southeastern Christian County. In some cases, it was hard to tell where the buildings had stood. The freight depot was unroofed, and freight cars were blown off train tracks. A woman and three children were killed by a falling building.


• 1976: A large, slow-moving tornado moved across parts of the southwestern Chicago suburbs, killing two people. This violent, F4 strength tornado affected areas near Lemont and Downers Grove. $13 million damage occurred when 89 homes were destroyed and another 90 were damaged. The tornado passed over the Argonne National Laboratory, peeling part of a roof off the building housing a nuclear reactor. The tornado's movement was rather erratic; the tornado first moved southeast, then north, and then turned to the west. While on the ground for an hour, the tornado only traveled about 8 miles.

June 14:

• 1957: An F4 tornado moved across the south and southeast sides of Springfield. The tornado destroyed 25 homes and severely damaged 175 others; property damage was around $3 million. On the north side of town, the storms produced a wind gust of 98 mph at Capital Airport, which still stands as Springfield's record wind speed. Two people died during the storm, with over 50 injured. A separate tornado touched down in downtown Jacksonville, destroying or damaging 40 buildings.


• 1974: A tornado took an intermittent 53 mile long path across northwest and west central Illinois. The tornado first touched down just southeast of the Quad Cities, and moved southeast into Knox County. In Abingdon (southwestern Knox County), 200 homes were damaged or destroyed.

June 15:

• 1936: Besides record heat, the summer of 1936 was also noted for its dry weather. The season started with only 0.45 inch of rain in Peoria during June, a record for the driest June. Springfield recorded 1.14 inches during the month, its seventh driest June on record.

June 16:

• 1882: Springfield recorded 12.71 inches of rain during the month, setting a June record which also stands as the third wettest month ever in the Capital City. Peoria's total during the month was 11.18 inches, marking the second wettest June on record.

June 17:

• 1992: Springfield saw a high temperature of 89 degrees on this date. This in itself isn't unusual for June. However, this ended up being the warmest temperature recorded in June 1992. Since weather records began in Springfield in 1879, only 8 Junes have failed to record a temperature of 90 degrees or higher.

June 18:

• 1835: A tornado moved southeast across west central Illinois, touching down midway between Canton and Fairview. Farms were destroyed before the tornado moved across Canton, where 50 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The tornado killed 8 people, including the founder of Canton and his son.


• 1998: Severe thunderstorms moved across a large portion of northern and central Illinois. Most of the damage occurred in the northeast part of the state, from near Rockford to the Chicago area. In Boone County, a 120-year-old barn was destroyed. Vehicles were blown off I-80 in Joliet, several schools in the Chicago area had damage to buildings, and numerous trees and power lines were blown down. A waterspout also formed on Lake Michigan. One person was injured when a tree fell on him.

June 19:

• 1942: A tornado in Crawford County moved across the north edge of Robinson, ending near the Wabash River. Three homes were torn apart, and several barns were destroyed. Barn debris was carried 4 miles.

June 20:

• 1890: An afternoon violent tornado moved across Lee and DeKalb Counties of north central Illinois. The tornado touched down 5 miles west southwest of Amboy and tracked for 25 miles before dissipating in southwest DeKalb County. South of Paw Paw, a teacher and 6 students were killed when a school was lifted and blown apart. Six other people were killed along the tornado’s path, with 60 people injured.


• 1974: Severe thunderstorms with winds of 70 to 95 mph moved across the northern half of Illinois, injuring 36 people. At the DuPage County Airport west of Chicago, 20 airplanes were destroyed. A wind gust of 63 mph at the Peoria airport blew over two airplanes. The storms also spawned a few tornadoes, causing minor damage.


• 1990: An outbreak of severe thunderstorms began in central Illinois during the evening of the 19th and continued into the morning of the 20th. A tornado touched down southeast of Champaign in Pesotum, moving to Villa Grove; $1 million damage was inflicted on a grain elevator near Royal. A tornado was also reported just west of Springfield, causing some tree damage. Winds gusted over 70 mph in parts of Mason, Menard, Sangamon, and Macon Counties. The storms also produced widespread flash flooding across the region.


• 2021: Severe thunderstorms across north central and northeast Illinois produced an EF3 tornado, which impacted Naperville, Woodridge, Darien, Burr Ridge, and Willow Springs. The tornado damagedd over 900 structures (300 of which were significantly damaged or destroyed), and injured 11 people.

June 21:

• 1939: A widely visible tornado, estimated at F2 intensity, was watched by hundreds of people in Winnebago County. The tornado reportedly “meandered” in the Pecatonica River valley in the northwest part of the county. No deaths or injuries were reported.


• 1998: A thunderstorm produced winds of 100 mph in Harrisburg, in southeast Illinois. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped, with some of these trees as much as 5 feet in diameter. A few outbuildings were blown off their foundations. The damage path was from 3/4 to 1 mile wide, and 4 to 5 miles long.


• 2019: A derecho moved across the lower Ohio Valley during the afternoon. One person was killed in Pulaski County when a tree fell onto the victim.

June 22:

• 1944: A violent tornado which touched down in southwest Wisconsin crossed the border into Illinois, northeast of Freeport. Both states had at least $1 million damage each. In Illinois, 66 farms lost barns, and 21 homes were destroyed. Two people were killed in Illinois, with 7 more in Wisconsin.


• 2015 Twelve tornadoes occurred across northern Illinois. The heaviest damage was in Coal City (Grundy County) and Braidwood (Will County), caused by an EF3 tornado. The Grundy County tornado was the strongest in that area since 1972.

June 23:

• 1962: A tornado in Cook County severely damaged 14 homes in Oak Forest, with 40 others had minor damage. Damage was estimated at $1.1 million along the 2 mile path.


• 1994 Severe thunderstorms moved across central Illinois, from Quincy to south of Decatur. In the town of Moweaqua, in Shelby County, strong winds downed or destroyed over 1,000 trees, with numerous power and phone lines down. Property damage around the area was estimated near $750,000, with crop damage estimated to be near $6 million.

June 24:

• 1924: A strong tornado moved across McDonough and Fulton Counties, touching down east of Bardolph. About 50 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and barn splinters were driven into trees a half mile away. Five people were injured.

June 25:

• 2005: Drought conditions were becoming widespread over much of central and northern Illinois, having developed during April and May. Many locations received less than an inch of rain during the month, with a few locations only receiving a quarter inch of rain. Water restrictions began to be implemented, especially in northern Illinois.

June 26:

• 1994: Severe thunderstorms moved across parts of central Illinois, with most of the damage in the Peoria area. A tornado briefly touched down in East Peoria. 3" diameter tree limbs were downed in Creve Coeur, and hail as large as golf balls covered the ground in Tremont.

June 27:

• 1945: A violent tornado moving across northwest and north central Illinois was nearly a mile wide at times. Bureau and LaSalle Counties were the tornado's primary target. The tornado was accompanied by a downburst of strong winds, 8 miles wide, causing extensive damage. Three farms near Princeton had every building and silo blown away.

June 28:

• 1957: In far east central Illinois, the town of Paris, in Edgar County, reported 10.20 inches of rainfall. This was a major contributor to a record June rainfall total of 17.65 inches, as well as a record year total of 61.59 inches. Weather records in Paris began in 1893.


• 1998: Severe thunderstorms moving through central Illinois produced a 79 mph wind gust at the Lincoln airport. The winds blew down hundreds of trees, tree limbs, power poles, and power lines. Several homes sustained damage from falling trees. These same storms later produced a wind gust of 81 mph at the Bloomington airport. Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down across the Bloomington/Normal area.

June 29:

• 1976: A violent tornado in Peoria County moved northeast from near Kickapoo to near Dunlap. An entire farm was destroyed south of Dunlap, and 2 other homes were destroyed in the area. A second tornado in McLean County touched down 4 miles east of Lexington, destroying a barn and two outbuildings.


• 1990: A microburst wind estimated around 150 mph did extensive damage in the town of Streamwood, in the Chicago metro area. At least $10 million damage was done to 25 stores and industrial buildings. Radar and eyewitness accounts indicated no rain or thunderstorms in the immediate vicinity of the area at the time.


• 1998: A derecho (wind storm), which originated in Iowa, moved across Illinois during the afternoon and evening, and continued as far east as Ohio the next morning. Every county in central Illinois received some sort of damage as these severe thunderstorms moved through. Winds gusted in the 60 to 80 mph range, with some localized microbursts producing winds in excess of 100 mph. Significant damage occurred in the microburst areas, including the towns of Morton, McLean, Leroy, and Tolono. Trees were blown over, buildings lost their roofs, and in Tolono, 21 cars of a freight train were blown off the tracks. Overall, 12 people were injured, and damage was estimated around $16 million.

June 30:

• 1960: An overnight tornado in Madison County moved near North Alton, Bethalto, Collinsville, Bunker Hill, and Godfrey. Three hangars were destroyed at the Bethalto airport, with 48 aircraft damaged or destroyed, resulting in $1 million damage.


• 2014: 2014: Two separate derechos (long lasting line of storms with intense wind damage) impacted northern Illinois. The first line developed in Iowa during the early afternoon, tracking to Lake Michigan by early to mid evening. A second line developed over eastern Iowa in the evening, and moved to Lake Michigan by late evening. Eleven tornadoes occurred, while severe straight-line winds were estimated as high as 100 mph.

July Weather Trivia

July 1:

• 1879: Weather records began in Springfield. The first observing site was downtown, on top of the Springer building at 6th and Monroe Streets, recording high and low temperature, as well as precipitation. The official observing site remained in downtown Springfield until the mid 1930's, when a second site was added at the old Southwest Airport. Even though weather observations were taken at Southwest Airport and later Capital Airport, the downtown weather office did not close until 1954.

July 2:

• 2023: Slow moving low pressure produced multiple extended rounds of heavy rain in and near Chicago, leading to flash flooding. The worst of the flooding occurred on the west and southwest sides of Chicago, and in the near west and southwest suburbs. Daily rainfall totals generally ranged from 3 to 7 inches, though localized totals includeed 8.96 inches in Berwin and 8.60 inches in Cicero.

July 3:

• 1873: A tornado in Hancock County, in far west central Illinois, destroyed several farms. From a distance, witnesses initially thought the tornado was smoke from a fire. A child was killed after being carried 500 yards; 10 other people were injured.

July 4:

• 1980: Extremely humid weather was found across central Illinois on this Independence Day. Springfield reported 11 consecutive hours with a dew point temperature of 80 degrees or higher, before a line of severe thunderstorms brought cooler air to the region. Dew points of 80 degrees are extremely high for central Illinois, and would even be a bit unusual in a normally humid location such as Florida.

July 5:

• 2000: Thunderstorms repeatedly moved over parts of southeast Illinois during the morning, producing rainfall of 5 to 6 inches. Numerous roads were reported closed by flood waters. A road north of Noble, in Richland County, collapsed. Flooding along highway 40 west of Effingham caused a 6 by 10 foot hole underneath the pavement, and a train track trestle over the Salt Creek had a 50 by 100 foot hole washed out under the tracks. Three homes in Newton were evacuated due to flooding, and 4 mobile homes and one house in Wheeler were also evacuated.

July 6:

• 1998: A narrow band of thunderstorms dumped between 3-4 inches of rain, in less than 3 hours, over parts of north central and northeast Illinois. In LaSalle County, the heavy rain caused a portion of a road to collapse, leaving a hole about 12 feet wide, and 10 feet deep.

July 7:

• 1915: A tornado touched down just west of Lawrenceville, in southeastern Illinois, and moved east. As the tornado moved into town, it widened, damaging nearly every building in town. One person was killed.


• 2012: Extensive drought over central and southeast Illinois led to an unusually high number of 100 degree days during the summer. Olney and Palestine each had fifteen 100-degree days, with 14 days at Charleston, 12 days at Normal, and 11 days at Springfield. On this particular date, high temperatures reached 109 degrees at Palestine and 108 degrees at Effingham.

July 8:

• 2001: Downburst winds caused considerable damage on the west side of Hoopeston. Three businesses were destroyed, one hundred homes sustained minor to moderate damage, and the EMS building was destroyed. Also, the sewer department suffered major damage, and a church suffered minor damage. Numerous trees, tree limbs, power poles, and power lines were blown down in Hoopeston and areas to the southeast, east of Rossville. No injuries or deaths were reported. Damage was estimated around $8.5 million.

July 9:

• 1992: Severe thunderstorms produced a swath of very large and damaging hail and damaging winds. Golfball-size hail and 60 mph winds were reported on the west side of Decatur, with numerous roofs and automobiles damaged by the hail. Hail grew to nearly the size of baseballs by the time the storms reached the Charleston/Mattoon areas. Total damage from the storms was estimated around $5 million.


• 2001: Flash flooding affected many areas in eastern Illinois, between Danville and Lawrenceville. Observers and radar estimates indicated from 8 to 10 inches of rain fell in parts of Edgar and Coles Counties, causing widespread flooding. One person died several hours after the heavy rain ended, when he drove into a flooded area near Oakland, in Coles County.

July 10:

• 2000: Thunderstorms brought heavy rain and strong winds to northeast Illinois, during the early morning hours. Flash flooding occurred in parts of LaSalle, DeKalb, Kendall and Kankakee Counties, where rainfall of 4 to 7 inches was reported. Flooding ripped up 50 feet of pavement in downtown Kankakee.

July 11:

• 1909: A tornado in the eastern St. Louis metropolitan area began as a waterspout on the Mississippi River, driving a steamer into a bridge. On land, the tornado destroyed several barns and damaged 15 homes and two factories in the west part of Alton.


• 1936: Intense heat continued to stifle the residents of central Illinois. Record highs were established at Lincoln, with 109 degrees; Peoria, 108 degrees; Decatur, 107 degrees; and 105 degrees at both Springfield and Champaign.

July 12:

• 1995: An intense heat wave affected much of the Midwest for a 4-day period beginning on this day. The worst effects of the heat were noted in the Chicago metropolitan area, where 583 people died from the heat. Temperatures across the area reached as high as 105 degrees, with heat index values peaking at 125 degrees. Electricity and water usage reached record levels, causing periodic outages.


• 2014: Very heavy rain fell over portions of central and eastern Illinois during the early morning hours. Rain totals of 3 to 6 inches were common from southern Livingston County, southeast through portions of Champaign and Piatt Counties, producing flash flooding.


• 2017: Multiple waves of thunderstorms moved across northeast Illinois from late on the 11th into the morning of the 12th. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 7 inches were common from the northwest Chicago suburbs to the Wisconsin border near Waukegan. Major to record river flooding occurred on the Fox and Des Plaines Rivers as a result.

July 13:

• 1936: Record heat occurred across much of the U.S. during the summer of 1936. In Springfield, the heat peaked on this day, with a high temperature of 108 degrees. Nighttime didn't provide much relief, as the temperature only fell to 84 degrees, the warmest night in Springfield history. From the 4th through the 15th, the high in Springfield was at least 100 degrees. The average temperature during the entire month was 86.2 degrees, the warmest July on record.


• 1993: Major flooding on the Mississippi River produced a record river crest at Quincy of 32.3 feet; the old record of 28.9 feet was set in April of 1973. At mid-month, only 5 of 28 bridges that cross the river into Illinois were open.


• 2004: A violent tornado quickly developed across Woodford County during the mid afternoon. This tornado was at F4 intensity as it demolished a manufacturing plant 4 miles west of Roanoke. Although 140 people were inside at the time, all escaped injury by reaching storm shelters a few minutes before the tornado's arrival. Steel beams and metal siding from the plant were found approximately three quarters of a mile east in a farm field. Four farmsteads east of the plant were severely damaged or destroyed.

July 14:

• 1936: The intense heat wave that affected Illinois during the month produced all-time record high temperatures at the following cities on this date: Mount Vernon (114 degrees), Danville (112 degrees), Olney (112 degrees), and Charleston (110 degrees).


• 1954: Although the heat wave of 1936 produced some of the hottest weather in central Illinois history, another heat wave on this date in 1954 brought more all-time record high temperatures in excess of 110 degrees to central Illinois. Records included 115 degrees at Pana, 114 degrees at Jacksonville and Virden, 113 degrees at Decatur, 112 degrees at Quincy and Springfield, and 111 degrees at Mattoon. Champaign also established an all-time record high of 109 degrees. At East St. Louis, the high temperature of 117 degrees set a record for the entire state of Illinois.

July 15:

• 1936: The heat wave of July 1936 peaked on this date in Peoria and Lincoln, with an all-time record high temperature of 113 degrees. Champaign's high temperature of 107 degrees stood as an all-time record until 1954.


• 2024: A derecho (well-organized and long-lived line of thunderstorms) rolled across northern Illinois. Widespread damaging winds of 60 to 100 mph were observed with the line. Upwards of 30 tornadoes also occurred over mainly northeast Illinois, with the strongest (EF2 intensity) on the ground for almost 35 miles from Channanhon to Matteson.

July 16:

• 1980: Millions of dollars in damage was done by a strong microburst and blinding rain that hit the south side of Chicago during the morning. Winds were estimated to be as high as 100 mph in the microburst. Further west, the same storm system produced a tornado near the town of Hampshire, destroying two silos containing 48,000 pounds of corn.


• 2016: A strong tornado moved through Delavan, in southern Tazewell County, late in the evening. Two people were injured by this tornado, which had an estimated maximum wind speed of 120 mph.

July 17:

• 1903: Several tornadoes moved across northern and central Illinois during the late afternoon and early evening. The two most significant tornadoes occurred in LaSalle County, affecting the towns of Mendota and Streator. Ten people were killed by the two storms. Five of the deaths occurred at a race track, where people were taking shelter under a grandstand when it collapsed.

July 18:

• 1921: A heat wave in central Illinois was wrapping up. In Springfield, 22 consecutive days that saw high temperatures of at least 90 degrees, a record for such heat.


• 1996: A massive rainstorm in north central and northeast Illinois led to widespread flooding. Aurora reported 16.94 inches of rain, establishing a state record for the most rain in a single day. Other heavy totals included 13.60 inches at Joliet, 9.24 inches in Wheaton, 8.09 inches in DeKalb, and 7.82 inches at Elgin.

July 19:

• 2006: A severe weather outbreak occurred across portions of the middle and upper Mississippi River valley. Originating in southern Minnesota during the morning, it curved southeast into eastern Iowa, then moved across central and western Illinois during the mid to late afternoon. By early evening, it had curved southwest and moved across the St. Louis area, where it did extensive damage and left a half million people without power. Wind gusts near Bunker Hill, in southern Macoupin County, were reported to be 90 mph.


• 2019: An extensive area of the state reached the mid to upper 90s, and high dew points produced heat index values as high as 115 degrees at Joliet. The low temperature of 80 degrees at Rockford was an all-time record warm low for the city.


• 2023: Historic flash flooding took place over far southern Illinois, with a widespread 6 to 12 inches of rain falling. A cooperative observer north of Cairo reported a 2-day total of 7.83 inches of rain, a record for Alexander County.

July 20:

• An average summer in central Illinois usually sees one or two days with high temperatures of 100 degrees or higher. An analysis of Springfield weather records, which began in 1879, indicate that the longest period between 100 degree highs is 15 years, from 1996 to 2010.

July 21:

• 2001: Thunderstorms formed along a lake breeze in northeast Illinois during the late afternoon and evening. Some damage occurred across Will and Cook Counties, but the main damage was from torrential rainfall. The heaviest rain fell across southwest Cook County, extreme northeast Will County, and central DuPage County. Water burst through a basement foundation in Tinley Park, filling the basement and topping out at 6 feet, 11 inches deep. Several homes in Orland Park and Tinley Park had 2 to 4 feet of water in basements. Streets were also flooded in these areas. Some rainfall totals from this event include 3.08 inches in Olympia Fields, 2.79 inches in Park Forest, 2.30 inches in Winfield, and 2.03 inches in Glenwood. There were no reports of injuries.


• 2006: Widespread damaging winds, estimated around 90 MPH, raked most of Jefferson County in south central Illinois. The city of Mount Vernon was especially hard hit, where about 14% of all homes received at least minor damage. Several thousands of trees were blown down, landing on cars, power lines, roads, and houses. In Mount Vernon, damage assessments indicated 1,107 homes were affected by some type of damage. 491 homes received minor damage such as roofs blown off, 152 received major damage, and 18 were destroyed. On Interstate 57, several semis were blown off the road or overturned, and a manufactured home was blown onto the southbound shoulder from a dealership located just off the highway.

July 22:

• 1993: Record precipitation that occurred across a good portion of the mid-Mississippi valley during the summer fell as far east as parts of central Illinois. During the month of July, Canton reported 12.66 inches of rain and Peoria reported 10.15 inches, both setting a record for the month. Springfield's 9.46 inches was good enough for the 2nd wettest July on record.

July 23:

• 1975: Severe thunderstorms affected parts of northern and central Illinois. Peoria reported its all-time record wind speed of 85 mph, knocking over trees. Two tornadoes affected Fulton County. The first passed through mainly rural areas. The second tornado touched down in Fiatt and moved east to Canton, where 127 businesses and 100 homes were destroyed. 300 other homes and 100 trailers were damaged; total damages were around $20 million. Two people were killed as the tornado moved through a mobile home park. Power lines were downed during the storm; some areas were without power until the 28th.

July 24:

• 2005: Excessive heat and humidity occurred across the region during the second part of July. Daytime temperatures ranged from the mid 90s to around 105 degrees, with heat index values of 105 to 115. On this date, Peoria reported its first 100 degree day in 10 years with a high of 104 degrees, which was its warmest reading since a 105 degree temperature in July 1988. The dry conditions across the region helped to temper the stifling humidity that normally occurs across this area during the summer.


• 2011: Excessive heat and humidity plagued central Illinois during the month. The worst conditions were from the 17th through the 24th, when an Excessive Heat Warning was in effect. Heat index values during the period reached as high as 115 degrees. Urbana reported its first 100-degree day since 1955, and Springfield’s 14 straight days of 90+ degree highs was its first such occurrence since 1955.

July 25:

• 1988: During the drought of 1988, the driest July on record was observed at Springfield, with 0.05 inch, and Peoria, 0.33 inch. Springfield's total also established the city's 5th driest month ever.

July 26:

• 1911: Unseasonably cool summer weather brought a July record low temperature of 46 degrees at Peoria. Record lows for the date were also set at Lincoln, with 44 degrees; Champaign, with 47 degrees; and Decatur, with 48 degrees.

July 27:

• 1981: Thunderstorms moved across central Illinois around sunrise, producing 4.33 inches of rain at Springfield's Capital Airport. This set a record for single-day rainfall during July in Springfield.


• 2006: Major flooding affected the city of Joliet during the afternoon and evening hours. Torrential rains fell across parts of the city, with 5.50 inches falling in just 90 minutes between 4 pm and 530 pm near Black Road and Infantry Drive. Storm total rainfall of 6.13 inches was reported on the west side of Joliet. Approximately 30 homes and businesses suffered basement flooding. Center Street ramps to Interstate 80 were closed with four feet of standing water. Cars were stranded in 4 to 5 feet of water under the viaduct on Route 30 east of Briggs Street. Pavement buckled under the force of the flood waters at Western and Cass Avenues.

July 28:

• 1992: All-time record rains for a single month were in the process of being broken at the following cities: Decatur, with 16.72 inches; Tuscola, with 14.03 inches, and Champaign, 13.82 inches.

July 29:

• 1981: Springfield reported a total of 10.76 inches of rain during the month, establishing a July record. Much of the total was due to two major rainstorms during the month, one which produced 3 inches of rain, and the other, 4-1/3 inches.

July 30:

• 1999: Intense heat was noted throughout Illinois, during the last few days of July 1999. Chicago set an all-time dew point record of 82 degrees the morning of the 30th, when the minimum heat index in Chicago failed to fall below 100. 99 people died from the heat in the Chicago area.

July 31:

• 2014: Prolonged periods of below normal temperatures persisted over much of the Midwest during the month. This resulted in new records for the coolest July being established at Decatur, Effingham, Lincoln, Olney, and Urbana.

August Weather Trivia

August 1:

• 2005: Drought conditions continued to spread across the northwest half of Illinois through the month. Locations west of I-55 were considered to be in extreme drought conditions, with rainfall amounts several inches below normal. The drought was most significant along the Illinois River valley.

August 2:

• 1981: Thunderstorms moving across central Illinois dumped 4.40 inches of rain at Capital Airport in Springfield. Just 6 days earlier, on July 27th, another 4.33 inches of rain was recorded from strong thunderstorms.


• 2001: Thunderstorms developed over northern Cook County between 6 and 7 AM. The storms slowly moved southeast across the county, exiting southern Cook County by 11 am. Rain was falling at the rate of 3 to 4 inches per hour at some locations. The Edens Expressway at Pratt had 6 to 8 feet of water covering the interstate, submerging 3 cars. The Dan Ryan Expressway was closed and flooded between 83rd and 87th. Eisenhower at Kennedy had 3 to 4 feet of water covering the interstates. 228 vehicles were reported to have been towed from flooded roads or viaducts. Many other smaller intersections and viaducts across the city of Chicago and parts of Cook County were flooded and impassable. Storm totals included 4.78 inches at Chicago's Loop, 3.95 inches at Skokie and Wilmette, 3.50 inches at Wrigleyville, 3.41 inches at Willow Springs, and 3.04 inches at Burr Ridge. A 93 mile tunnel, used to hold rain water during periods of heavy rain, filled in just over an hour, holding approximately 1.6 billion gallons of water. The Chicago Park District opened locks at Wilmette and downtown Chicago to allow rain water to flow directly into Lake Michigan.

August 3:

• 1991: A tornado touched down in Olney, in Richland County. It tore off the roofs of two apartment buildings as well as the local Wal-Mart store. Strong winds with the associated thunderstorm also blew down trees in the area.

August 4:

• 1968: Thunderstorms in east central Illinois produced 5.40 inches of rain at Danville. This edged out a 5.08 inch rainstorm in 1949 to establish a 24-hour rainfall record for the city.

August 5:

• 1875: Several tornadoes moved across northern and central parts of Illinois. One of the stronger tornadoes, later estimated at F4 intensity, touched down in Warren County, then passed just to the north of Galesburg, in Knox County. 25 homes were destroyed, with 2 people killed and 15 injured. Another in a series of tornadoes touched down near Knoxville and moved eastward into northern Peoria County. 14 people were hurt and 20 farms destroyed by this family of tornadoes, described by witnesses as looking like a "monstrous haystack".

August 6:

• 1977: Severe thunderstorms produced 19 tornadoes in Sangamon and Christian Counties. Many of these only affected open fields. However, one tornado did cause extensive damage near and east of Chatham, in the Glenwood Park subdivision, where about 40 homes were demolished or heavily damaged. One tornado just south of Lake Springfield was unusual in that it had a clockwise rotation, in contrast to the usual counter-clockwise rotation found in tornadoes. The thunderstorms that produced these tornadoes caused a large swath of destruction from strong winds extending from southwestern Morgan County east to far southwestern Macon County.


• 2019: Severe thunderstorms formed across southern Illinois, and one of them produced hail of 3.5 inches in diameter near Harrisburg.

August 7:

• 1936: Among the many heat-related records established during the summer of 1936 was the number of days with highs 90 degrees or higher. Springfield reported 69 such days during the year, 57 of which occurred between June and August. At Peoria, the total for the year was 64, a few days shy of the record of 68 days set in 1887.

August 8:

• 1934: A 3-day heat wave with highs of 100 degrees or higher was in progress across central Illinois. High temperatures of 111 degrees at Rushville, and 108 degrees at Springfield, set August records for those locations.

August 9:

• 1934: Springfield tied its August record high temperature of 108 degrees, set the previous day. August record highs of 106 degrees were also recorded at Decatur and Lincoln.


• 2006: Widespread flooding and flash flooding occurred across much of Clay County, where rainfall amounts in excess of 7 inches were reported. The worst flooding was reported in Louisville and Flora where numerous roads, businesses and homes were flooded. Many roads had to be closed due to high water and several cars on these roads stalled.


• 2012: During a severe thunderstorm outbreak, downburst winds of 70-80 mph occurred from Danvers east to Bloomington. The Apollo Acres subdivision saw 159 homes damaged, estimated around $1 million, while $2.5 million damage occurred to businesses along the path.

August 10:

• 1974: Severe thunderstorms triggered many tornadoes across central Illinois; 13 touchdowns were reported in Macon County alone, but only minor damage was reported. Tornadoes also touched down near Litchfield, Mattoon, and Effingham.

August 11:

• 1976: A tornado hit the north part of Cuba, in Fulton County, destroying two trailers and tearing the roof from a house. One person was injured.

August 12:

• 1993: Thunderstorms moving across east central Illinois produced 5.32 inches of rain in Champaign on this date. This is the most rain to ever fall in a single day in Champaign, since records began in 1889. This was over half of the monthly total of 10.02 inches, which set an August record.


• 1999: Severe thunderstorms developed in west central Illinois during the early evening, and moved to the Indiana border during the next several hours. Winds gusting over 80 mph caused over $50 million in crop damage to Schuyler, Mason, Menard, Logan, Cass, Morgan and Scott Counties. Miles of power lines were blown down in Cass County, and numerous trees were damaged through the area. There was also damage to property, caused by falling trees and tree limbs.


• 2016: Persistent thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall during the early evening in Sangamon County, northeast into southern Woodford County. Unofficial reports included 8 inches southeast of Delavan, and 6.08 inches at San Jose. The Springfield airport reported 5.59 inches, including 3.34 inches in just one hour, establishing a new all-time calendar day rainfall record. Numerous city streets in Springfield were closed due to the flooding, including all of the roads in the vicinity of the Illinois State Fairgrounds, where the State Fair was starting. A total of 58 camper trailers and 25 vehicles were damaged on the State Fairgrounds, where nearly 50 people were rescued in the camping area. No injuries were reported. Many livestock buildings were flooded, the Grandstand concert was cancelled, and fair officials closed the entrance/exit gates to keep people from leaving due to the extensive street flooding. In other areas of Springfield, 48 water rescues were made on city streets and viaducts by first responders, with no injuries reported.


• 2021: From mid morning into early afternoon, a region of 4 to 8 inches of rain fell over southern Ford County, and adjacent areas of McLean and Champaign Counties. This extremely heavy rain resulted in significant flash flooding in Gibson City, where 9.33 inches of rain fell and all major highways in and out of town became impassable.

August 13:

• 1987: Major flash flooding occurred in the Chicago metropolitan area. Much of the flooding was in the western and northern suburbs. Thunderstorms repeatedly moved across the area, dumping heavy rain. O'Hare Airport reported 9.35 inches of rain in an 18 hour period. The airport was only accessible by air, as flooding blocked all surface approaches. However, thousands of people did manage to leave the airport by walking down the Kennedy Expressway. Flooding from the rain continued until the 19th, with damages around $220 million.

August 14:

• 1992: Parts of central Illinois were in the midst of a record dry month. Peoria only reported 0.25 inch of rain during the month, marking its driest August on record. Other records were established at Canton, with 0.55 inch, and Galesburg with 0.88 inch. Springfield's total of 0.46 inch is currently its 5th driest August on record.

August 15:

• 1981: Thunderstorms moving across central Illinois produced just under an inch of rain in Springfield. By the end of the month, a total of 8.37 inches of rain fell in the Capital City. Over half of this fell on August 2nd, with nearly 4-1/2 inches.

August 16:

• 1987: Severe thunderstorms rumbled across the northern half of the state, producing damaging winds, large hail, and 1 to 5 inches of rain. Winds gusted to 75 mph in Quincy and from 60 to 80 mph in an area from Moline to Galesburg. A wind gust of 80 mph at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield toppled two tents, injuring 58 people. Total damage was around $12 million, primarily due to rains which accentuated flooding in the Chicago area.


• 2012: Severe thunderstorms produced extensive damage in Windsor, where hundreds of trees were uprooted, and about 200 homes sustained roof damage. Damage estimates were around $3 million.

August 17:

• 1948: A strong tornado moved across Warren and Mercer Counties, destroying 3 barns and 2 homes. Losses from the accompanying hailstorm were in the millions of dollars.


• 1988: High temperatures of 100 to 105 degrees across central Illinois set records for the date in many cities. In addition, Champaign's high of 102 degrees was the warmest August temperature on record.

August 18:

• 1999: Hail up to baseball size fell in Schuyler County, especially to the north and west of Rushville. Hundreds of cars were damaged by the hail. Numerous houses sustained roof damage and thousands of acres of corn and soybeans damaged. Crop damage was estimated around $4 million, and property damage over $750,000.


• 2002: Severe thunderstorms in central Illinois produced hail up to 3.75 inches in diameter northwest of Lincoln in San Jose, as well as a brief tornado touchdown 5 miles north of Mason City. Scattered wind damage from these storms occurred as far east as the Indiana border. Six people were injured in Atwood by flying debris.

August 19:

• 1999: A tornado touched down near St. Louis, then moved into Illinois. The tornado was described by eyewitnesses as moving "like a revolving pillar". Several factories at Venice, Illinois, were destroyed, and a ferry boat on the Mississippi River was narrowly missed. Three people were killed in St. Louis.

August 20:

• 1943: A record dry month was in progress in parts of central Illinois. Springfield reported a mere 0.10 inch of rain during the month, which still stands as the driest August on record. Decatur's 0.22 inch of rain during the month also set an August record.

August 21:

• 1977: The first killer tornado in Illinois during the month of August took the lives of 6 vacationers at Lake Mattoon. The tornado first touched down in eastern Shelby County near Windsor, moved east across Coles County and into Cumberland County, lifting near Greenup. The tornado was embedded in heavy rain, making visual identification difficult.


• 1987: Severe thunderstorms affected a seven county area from Peoria northwest to Moline before sunrise. The storms produced 90 mph winds and golfball-size hail in parts of the Quad Cities. Damage was reported to 2,000 cars and hundreds of windows. $4 million damage occurred to crops in the area.


• 2017: A total solar eclipse tracked across far southern Illinois, with the longest period of totality near Carbondale. Here, temperatures fell 6 degrees in 25 minutes during the early afternoon. Many areas in central and southern Illinois saw temperatures fall 3 to 7 degrees during the height of the eclipse.

August 22:

• 1862: During August of 1862, Peoria reported a total of 9.04 inches of rain.

August 23:

• 1939: This was the first of 37 consecutive days where no measurable rain fell in Springfield, a record dry spell for the city.


• 2001: Scattered strong thunderstorms developed during the evening hours of August 22 in west central Illinois, continuing into the early morning hours of the 23rd. Excessive rainfall fell during this period, and produced widespread urban and street flooding. Cooperative observer rainfall observations ranged from 6.30 to 8.00 inches in Hancock County from this event. In Schuyler County, a total of 8.67 inches of rain fell in Brooklyn. On the LaMoine River, levels rose up to 16 feet in 4 to 6 hours.

August 24:

• 1982: Five tornadoes touched down south and east of Bloomington. The strongest one traveled from Merna to Cooksville, destroying a church and 5 homes, and damaging 125 others. Total damages were around $2.4 million. The storms were unusual in the fact that four had unusual changes in directions of movement.


• 2023: An expansive ridge of high pressure over the central United States brought several days of record-breaking temperatures to this part of the country during the 4th week of August. Chicago observed its first 100 degree temperature at O'Hare since 2012 on this date, with an unofficial record heat index of 120 degrees.

August 25:

• 1947: Record heat led to August record average temperatures being recorded at Springfield, with 86.2 degrees; Decatur, with 82.6 degrees; Peoria, with 82 degrees; and Champaign, with 80.9 degrees. These surpassed records that were previously set during the torrid summer of 1936.

August 26:

• 1910: Peoria registered a low temperature of 41 degrees. This established a record for the month of August, although it has been tied twice since then. Daily low temperatures were established at Lincoln, with 37 degrees; Decatur, 44 degrees; and Champaign, 46 degrees.

August 27:

• 2024: An area of severe thundersatorms impacted northern Illinois, producing widespread wind damage to trees and power lines. As the storms moved onto Lake Michigan, the winds produced a seiche, with water levels at Calumet Harbor fluctuating from 1 to 1.5 feet for several hours.

August 28:

• 1990: A large, killer tornado spun a path of destruction across Kendall and Will Counties in northeast Illinois. This F5 tornado was on the ground for over 16 miles, touching down first near Oswego and lifting 20 minutes later in Joliet. The worst damage occurred in the towns of Plainfield and Crest Hill. 29 people were killed and another 350 were injured. Total damage was estimated around $165 million. Before the tornado developed, the severe thunderstorm produced wind gusts in the 80-100 mph range.


• 2014: Slow moving, isolated thunderstorms developed along a warm front during the evening hours. Rainfall totals across portions of Sangamon, Logan, and Menard Counties generally ranged from 2 to 4 inches, with 5.1 inches reported on the southwest side of Springfield. Widespread flash flooding resulted, with over 200 water rescues performed in Springfield.

August 29:

• 1955: A tornado made intermittent contact along a 15 mile path, beginning 13 miles southwest of Jacksonville and ending in town. Homes in the northwest corner of Jacksonville lost their roofs. Two people were injured.


• 1990: A severe thunderstorm produced wind gusts in the 85-90 mph range in Bloomington. Heavy damage occurred to a concrete building, with other damage to metal buildings, roofs, and trees throughout McLean County.

August 30:

• 1893: A low temperature of 37 degrees in Champaign set an August record low, which still stands. Weather records in Champaign began in 1889.


• 2001: Thunderstorms developed over northern Illinois during the evening hours. A series of thunderstorms moved across northern Cook County dumping torrential amounts of rainfall. Chicago’s O’Hare Airport received 4.31 inches of rain, most of which fell between 9 pm and 11 pm. This rainfall brought the total for the month to 12.25 inches, making this the second wettest month on record for Chicago.

August 31:

• 1936: In the meteorological community, summer is considered to be the months of June, July, and August. The summer of 1936 finished with an average temperature of 81.0 degrees in Springfield, the warmest summer on record. During the month of August alone, 11 days had temperatures which still serve as record highs for the city. August 1936 saw an average high temperature of 94.1 degrees.


• 1947: August 1947 was a hot month in central Illinois. Springfield's average high temperature during the month was a scorching 94.9 degrees.

September Weather Trivia

September 1:

• 1984: The new month started out hot in central Illinois, with temperatures near the century mark. Springfield recorded a high of 101 degrees.


• 2011: High temperatures of 100 degrees or higher were observed in many areas from the 1st through the 3rd. Springfield observed its first 100 degree day since August 1995, with a high of 102 degrees setting a monthly record.

September 2:

• 2012: The remnants of Hurricane Isaac affected central and southeast Illinois during the Labor Day weekend, bringing widespread rainfall of 2 to 6 inches over drought-stricken areas. In addition, 9 tornadoes were reported over the area from the system. Two were on August 31st in Morgan County, and the others on September 1st in Woodford County. Most were weak and did no damage, but one caused some structural damage near Franklin, in southeast Morgan County.

September 3:

• 2002: A prolonged summer drought in southern Illinois gradually worsened, becoming severe by early September. Many parts of southern Illinois received little measurable rainfall since July. The main effect of the drought was on agriculture. Crop loss estimates totaled around $53 million. The corn crop, which was especially susceptible to the combined effects of heat and drought, took the biggest hit. A few outdoor fires broke out, including a 20-acre blaze in Saline County, several miles west of Eldorado. The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore provided much-needed heavy rainfall late in September. One to three inches of rain fell over most of southern Illinois, which greatly eased the drought.

September 4:

• 1969: A strong tornado touched down in Kankakee County, damaging 4 homes near St. Anne. Other farm buildings were damaged along the 2.5 mile path.


• 2006: A slow moving low pressure system triggered scattered thunderstorms across northern Illinois during the afternoon. A series of slow moving storms moved into and sat over the east side of Rockford. As much as 5 to 10 inches of rain fell in a localized area, while less than three quarters of an inch fell nearby at the airport. The heavy rain produced severe flooding of Keith Creek in the late afternoon and early evening. Hundreds of basements were flooded and fifteen homes were left uninhabitable. Streets and parking lots were flooded and cars were submerged in water. Damage was estimated at about $20 million.

September 5:

• 1899: Peoria reported a high temperature of 104 degrees, establishing its September record high temperature. This was the first of 3 straight days of highs 100 or above. A temperature of 102 degrees at Champaign also established a September record.


• 1954: A late-season 3-day heat wave began in central Illinois, with high temperatures of 100 degrees or higher widespread. The warmest readings on this date included 105 degrees at Paris and 104 at Decatur.

September 6:

• 1996: A thunderstorm produced very heavy rain in western and southern parts of Quincy. Local storm sewers were pushed to capacity, causing a discharge valve to automatically open to handle the overflow. This forced raw sewage into Curtis Creek, killing over 14,000 fish.

September 7:

• 1944: Upper-air observations in central Illinois began, conducted by the U.S. Army at Chanute Field in Rantoul. Observations were taken 4 times a day at this location until September 1956, when they were moved to Peoria.


• 2021: Numerous severe thunderstorms tracked southeast across the state during the afternoon and evening. Damaging winds of 75 to 85 mph occurred from southern Kendall County southeast into Will County, with hail larger than golf balls in parts of Lee and LaSalle Counties.

September 8:

• 1996: A severe thunderstorm in western Douglas County blew the roof off a barn near the town of Garrett, while lightning struck a second building. Damage from the subsequent fire was near $10,000. Numerous tree limbs and power poles were blown down as the storm moved to Tuscola. In Villa Grove, the storm blew over a tree, which fell onto a car.


• 2018: The remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon produced 3 to 6 inches of rain across portions of southern Illinois, with the highest total of 6.9 inches at Mt. Carmel. Significant road flooding occurred along the I-64 corridor.

September 9:

• 1875: A tornado touched down in the city of Normal, and moved to the northeast. Dozens of trees were uprooted, and a large brick house had its third story torn off and scattered for over a mile. Two people were injured.

September 10:

• 1979: A record dry month was in progress across central Illinois. In Springfield, only a trace of rain fell during the entire month. This broke the month's record of 0.14 inch, set in 1939. This also marked the driest month ever in Springfield, and is the only month that has never had any measurable rainfall. Peoria registered just 0.03 inch and Decatur 0.02 inch, a record low for September and a tie for the driest month ever.

September 11:

• 1974: A flash flood affected parts of southeast Illinois during the late night hours. Most of the flooding occurred in Clark, Crawford, and Lawrence Counties. In the town of Birds, in far northern Lawrence County, 75 families were evacuated due to flood waters. 5 bridges were washed out, causing $250,000 damage.

September 12:

• 1956: Upper air observations began at the Peoria airport, with the responsibilities transferred to the Weather Bureau from Chanute AFB in Rantoul. The observations were initially taken 4 times a day, then scaled back to twice a day in October 1957.


• 1961: A two day rainstorm deluged Peoria with 6.33 inches of rain. The 4.11 inch total on the 13th was the most to ever fall in a single September day in the city.

September 13:

• 1939: A 4-day heat wave began across central Illinois. Springfield recorded highs of 100 degrees or higher on each day from the 13-16th. Record highs were also established in Peoria, Decatur, and Champaign during this time.

September 14:

• 1928: A violent tornado, estimated at F4 intensity with winds over 200 mph, tore across Rockford. The tornado first touched down 8 miles south southwest of Rockford, and moved across the southeast part of the city. Four factories were damaged or destroyed, including the Rockford Chair and Furniture Company. Eight workers were killed there when the 3-story building collapsed. About a mile downstream, 3 boys were killed in a garage. The tornado was on the ground for 26 miles, dissipating in Boone County near Capron. A total of 14 people were killed, with around 100 injuries reported.


• 1965: A tornado moved across the northwest part of Peoria. A brick school lost its roofs and a wall. Three homes were destroyed, and several industrial buildings were damaged. 30 people were injured.


• 2008: The remnants of Hurricane Ike tracked across southern Illinois, producing numerous wind gusts of 50 to 75 mph, with the strongest winds along the Ohio River. Two to 5 inches of rain also occurred, and combined with the lingering runoff from Hurricane Gustav’s remnants a few days earlier to produce widespread flooding. Some areas received up to 9 inches of rain between the two events, southwest of Peoria and southeast of Springfield.

September 15:

• 1931: The Champaign/Urbana area logged its wettest September day on record. Total rainfall for the date was 3.91 inches.

September 16:

• 1916 Champaign's earliest freezing temperature on record was registered. A typical year in Champaign wouldn't see a freeze occur for another month.

September 17:

• 2023: Significant flash flooding occurred in the near south suburbs of Chicago. Areas near Calumet City, Dolton, and Burnham were hardest hit, with 4-6 inches of rain measured, though radar esimated up to 9 inches may have occurred near Calumet City.

September 18:

• 1886: A tornado moved along the Des Plaines River in northeast Illinois, hitting Joliet. The tornado destroyed 20 homes, 10 barns, two factories, and a grain elevator; a bridge was moved intact for two blocks. 20 people were injured, but the loud roar of the approaching tornado allowed residents time to take shelter, so no one was killed.

September 19:

• 2002: Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across parts of north central and northeast Illinois. In McHenry County, 2.4 inches of rain fell in Harvard in 35 minutes, producing some street flooding.

September 20:

• 1986: Flash flooding occurred in parts of central Illinois, primarily from near Peoria and Lincoln eastward to Bloomington, as rainfall amounts ranged from 3 to 7 inches. Bloomington reported 7.12 inches between midnight and 4 am, causing significant flooding.


• 1991: Peoria recorded its earliest freeze on record; the normal first freeze isn't until October 17th. This is also the only time in Peoria's recorded history that a freeze has occurred during astronomical summer.

September 21:

• 1961 Peoria's wettest month on record occurred in September of 1961, when a grand total of 13.09 inches of rain fell. Nearly half of this occurred during a two day span on the 12th and 13th, when 6.33 inches of rain fell.

September 22:

• 1961 Peoria's wettest month on record occurred in September of 1961, when a grand total of 13.09 inches of rain fell. Nearly half of this occurred during a two day span on the 12th and 13th, when 6.33 inches of rain fell.

September 23:

• 1977: A tornado crossing the Mississippi River into Adams County reportedly pulled water 50 feet into the air. The tornado lifted near Marblehead, where 3 people were injured in a trailer.


• 1995: Autumn was only a couple days old when Springfield recorded its earliest 32 degree temperature on record. This normally wouldn't occur for another month.

September 24:

• 1881: A tornado touched down in Brown County near Clayton, and moved northeast to Camden, in western Schuyler County. 33 of the 39 homes in Camden were damaged or destroyed. One person was killed, and 10 injured.

September 25:

• 1942: A winter storm brought some of the earliest measurable snow on record to the Midwest. In central Illinois, Galesburg and Minonk each reported 2 inches of snow, with 1.5 inches at Princeville. Peoria reported a full inch of snow, the earliest snowfall on record and a record total for the month of September. Springfield reported a few flurries, marking the only time it has snowed in the capital city in September, since weather records began in 1879.

September 26:

• 1959: Springfield's Capital Airport was the recipient of a 5.12 inch downpour of rain. This is a record for the most rain in a single day in September.

September 27:

• 1926: Springfield's wettest month on record was coming to an end. A grand total of 15.16 inches of rain was measured. Champaign saw its wettest September on record during that time, with a total of 9.76 inches of rain. Peoria's 11.55 inches stands as the 3rd wettest September on record in that city, while 16.56 inches at Decatur was a month record and the second wettest month ever.


• 2019: Thunderstorms brought torrential rain and flash flooding to northern Illinois. A large area of 3 to 8 inches of rain fell roughly along the I-80 corridor. Rainfall amounts included 8.03 inches at Channahon, 7.87 inches at Peotone, and 7.61 inches at Seneca.

September 28:

• 1939: Springfield finally reported measurable precipitation, ending a 37 day streak of precipitation totals no greater than a trace. The month finished with a total of 0.14 inches, which stood as the driest September on record until 1979.


• 1942: Unseasonably cold weather brought September record low temperatures to Peoria, at 24 degrees, and Champaign, at 29 degrees. Records for the date were set at Springfield, Lincoln, and Decatur.


• 1972: A strong tornado moved across Lake County, from North Chicago to Lake Michigan, around sunrise. $1 million damage was reported, much of it to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, where many barracks were destroyed.

September 29:

• 1927: A tornado in downtown St. Louis crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois, killing 7 people in Illinois and 72 in St. Louis before dissipating near Granite City. Six of the Illinois deaths occurred when a crucible of molten metal was overturned by the tornado. Debris was carried for 50 miles. The tornado followed a path similar to other tornadoes which occurred in 1871 and 1896.


• 1986: Severe thunderstorms moved across central Illinois, causing damage along a 55 mile path. Two tornadoes occurred, but most of the damage was caused by high winds. Hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed, including a large microwave tower near Lexington, in northern McLean County. Total damage was around $4.2 million.

September 30:

• 1977: A thunderstorm brought Springfield some of its heaviest short-term rainfall totals on record. 1.05 inches of rain fell in only 5 minutes. The 10-minute total was 1.42 inches, which grew to 1.5 inches by the end of the 15-minute period. Later in the day, severe thunderstorms produced $20 million damage in far east central Illinois, around Danville; 30,000 acres of crops were destroyed by hail.

October Weather Trivia

October 1:

• 1890: The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress, and assigned as part of the Department of Agriculture. Weather observations and forecasts were previously issued by the Army Signal Service.

October 2:

• 1922: Strong southerly winds brought very warm air from the Gulf region into Illinois. Rockford reached 91 degrees, the all-time warmest temperature recorded during the month of October. The heat wave across the region persisted through the 5th.

October 3:

• 1954: A late-season heat wave was found across central Illinois. Champaign's high temperature of 93 degrees established a record for the month of October. Springfield reported a high temperature of 93 degrees, also setting a monthly record, which was tied on the same date in 2006.


• 2000: A small area of very strong thunderstorms developed in west central Illinois during the early evening hours, and moved into north central Illinois. A predominant gust front developed ahead of these storms, which brought considerable winds across La Salle County. State Police estimated the winds to be 90 mph, maintaining that strength as the gust front moved across the county. Near Oglesby, a semi-tractor trailer was overturned on Interstate 39, and several secondary roads leading to Starved Rock State Park were closed due to downed trees and power lines. Near Ottawa, a $100,000 machine shed was destroyed.

October 4:

• 1941: A 4.74 inch deluge of rain marked Springfield's wettest October day on record. Records in Springfield date back to 1879.


• 1991: Severe thunderstorms moved across parts of central and northern Illinois. A tornado touched down south of Hopedale, in Tazewell County, damaging several homes and other buildings. A brief tornado touchdown was also reported at Carlock, in McLean County, but no damage was reported. The severe storms also produced winds in excess of 60 mph, causing damage to trees, power lines, and buildings in many locations.

October 5:

• 1981: High winds across central Illinois produced gusts to 94 mph in Bloomington, 80 mph in Petersburg, and 63 mph in Champaign. Scattered damage occurred to homes, trees, and farm buildings.

October 6:

• 1963: Chicago established its record October high temperature, as warm southerly winds caused the mercury to reach 94 degrees.

October 7:

• 1996: Severe thunderstorms moved across the central third of Illinois during the late afternoon and evening. The storms downed trees, with only minor damage. A tornado touched down just north of Neoga in Cumberland County, causing damage to a used car lot, truck stop, and 5 houses. One person in a tractor-trailer was slightly injured when the truck was blown over.

October 8:

• 1871: Drought prevailed across the Midwest during the summer and fall. Chicago only recorded an inch of rain between July and October. The tinder-dry conditions and strong winds over 30 mph fanned a small fire, which eventually turned into a major 3-day firestorm in Chicago. Nearly three square miles of the city were destroyed by the fire, which killed 300 people and left 90,000 homeless.

October 9:

• 1943: During World War II, weather reports were censored in the U.S., because of the belief that they could “aid the enemy” in the event of an invasion. Even if there was 2 feet of snow on the ground, which everyone could see, newspaper and radio reports were not allowed to mention the snow.

October 10:

• 1969: Thunderstorm rainfall of 3.62 inches led to Peoria's wettest October day on record. Normal for the entire month is 2.65 inches. The thunderstorm also produced a tornado along the Tazewell/Woodford County border east of Morton, damaging the roof on a house.

October 11:

• Eighty-one cooperative weather reporting stations in Illinois were established before 1900. Of these, the oldest organized reporting system was at Fort Dearborn, in present-day Chicago, where records began in 1832. However, in Elgin, military surgeons took occasional observations as early as 1824. Some of the earliest reporting stations in central Illinois included Athens (1843) and Jacksonville (1849).

October 12:

• 1987: Sixteen cities in the central U.S. reported record lows for the date. In Illinois, records were set at Rockford and Springfield, both of which reported a low of 24 degrees.


• 2006: Springfield saw a few flurries late in the evening, its first snowfall on record for October 12. It was also the 5th earliest snowfall on record, and the earliest to occur since October 8, 1944.

October 13:

• 2001: Late in the afternoon and evening, thunderstorms with torrential rainfall occurred across the western Chicago suburbs. The heaviest rainfall occurred across DuPage, northern Will, and northwest Cook Counties, where 4 to 5 inches of rain fell. Two to 3 feet of standing water was on the streets of downtown Wheaton, widespread flooding occurred in Plainfield and Bolingbrook, and some areas were flooded for days.


• 2014: An outbreak of severe weather in the middle and lower Mississippi Valley produced tornadoes as far north as central Illinois. One tornado was on the ground for 10 miles in Shelby and Macon Counties, producing EF2-strength damage along the county line northeast of Moweaqua. A second tornado briefly touched down just south of the Decatur airport, and a third remained in open areas of northeast Macon County.

October 14:

• 1966: A late-season tornado moved across Brown County in west central Illinois, passing along the east edge of Mount Sterling. Major damage resulted in a 30 square block area of the town. Nearly all the buildings at the Brown County Fairgrounds were destroyed, and 10 nearby homes suffered major damage. Numerous cars and buses were badly damaged. Debris fell for several miles after the tornado lifted.


• 2017: Heavy rain occurred over northern Illinois, with a 2 day total from the 14-15th of 4 to 8 inches from near La Salle to Chicago. The highest amount was 9.30 inches at Burr Ridge, with 8.16 inches at Lisle and almost 8 inches at Naperville. Chicago’s total of 4.19 inches on the 14th set a calendar day record for October, and was the highest calendar day total in 6 years.

October 15:

• 1870: Chicago’s first official weather station was established downtown, at 181 W. Washington St. The records of this station were lost about a year later, during the Great Chicago Fire.


• 1897: Peoria recorded a high temperature of 90 degrees. This set a record for the date, and was the latest in the year that a 90 degree temperature has been recorded.

October 16:

• 1941: Record precipitation fell across parts of central Illinois during the month. Springfield finished with a total of 13.39 inches, while Jacksonville had 12.20 inches, Peoria 10.80 inches, and Decatur 10.64 inches.Peoria recorded a high temperature of 90 degrees. This set a record for the date, and was the latest in the year that a 90 degree temperature has been recorded.

October 17:

• Over the years, people have believed that behavior patterns of certain plants and animals can predict the severity of a coming winter. These patterns actually depend more on past and present events, rather than future events.

October 18:

• 1925: October of 1925 was a cold month across central Illinois. Average temperatures of 43.4 degrees in Peoria, 45.2 degrees in Champaign, 46 degrees in Springfield, and 46.5 degrees in Decatur are all records for the coldest October in each city.

October 19:

• 1989: A record breaking early-season snowfall occurred across extreme eastern Illinois. One to 3 inches of snow fell from the northern Chicago suburbs southward through Champaign and as far south as Newton, in Jasper County. O'Hare Airport in Chicago reported 3.8 inches of snow, setting a record for the earliest snowfall of 1 inch or more. Further south, a snowfall of 0.3 inches in Springfield marked its earliest measurable snow on record, while Peoria recorded 0.4 inches.

October 20:

• Indian Summer is defined as a mid to late autumn period of abnormally warm weather. For a late-season warm spell to really be considered “Indian Summer”, it should follow at least one killing frost, and preferably a substantial period of chilly weather. Traditional Indian Summer weather is characterized by sunny, calm, mild days and clear, cool nights, with haze or smoke in the air.

October 21:

• 1983: Records for 24-hour October rainfall were recorded at Decatur, with 4.09 inches, and at Champaign, with 3.72 inches.

October 22:

• Frost occurs when the surface temperature cools to the dew point temperature, and both are at or below 32 degrees. Water vapor in the air turns directly into ice, without becoming a liquid first, producing visible ice crystals on surfaces. Freezes occur when the air temperature (measured about 6 feet off the ground) falls below 32 degrees; temperatures of 28 degrees or colder are considered to be a hard freeze.

October 23:

• Clouds were not formally named and classified until the early 19th century. Clouds were classified using Latin words to describe how the clouds appear to a ground observer. The initial classification had four basic cloud types; this was expanded in 1887 to also account for the height of the clouds above the ground, or their vertical appearance. This system of grouping cloud types is still in use today.

October 24:

• 2001: Severe thunderstorms affected central Illinois, primarily between I-55 and the Indiana border. A tornado touched down on the southwest side of Monticello and moved northeast, causing $2.2 million damage. A second tornado touched down around I-57 and I-74 near Champaign, causing $500,000 damage. Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph were common with these storms, and hail as large as golf balls fell in Decatur.

October 25:

• 1856: A tornado in Schuyler County touched down during the early evening, destroying most of the town of Littleton. One person was killed, and 15 injured.

October 26:

• 2010: An historic fall storm system affected the central U.S. on the 25th and 26th. Record low barometric pressures for October were set at Peoria (28.98 inches) and Springfield (29.03 inches). The parent low’s central pressure of 28.21 inches over Minnesota was one of the deepest low pressure systems observed in the contiguous United States, outside of a hurricane.
• 2019: The remnants of Tropical Storm Olga tracked into far southeast Illinois, bringing 2 to 4 inches of rain as far north as Bloomington. Some wind gusts over 40 mph were observed near the Wabash River.

October 27:

• Atmospheric pressure is measured with a device known as a barometer. The standard barometer consists of a long glass tube, one end closed and the other end inserted in a dish of mercury. The weight of the atmosphere pushes down on the dish, causing the mercury to rise or fall in the tube. Typically, the height of the mercury in the tube will range from 29 to 31 inches at sea level; this is where the term “inches of mercury” comes from when relating barometric pressure.

October 28:

• On occasion, the Northern Lights are visible in Illinois. It used to be said that these lights were reflections from the polar ice fields, or they were lights from demons’ lanterns as they searched for lost souls. The Northern Lights are actually caused by high-energy particles from the Sun entering the Earth’s atmosphere. These particles collide with air molecules, causing them to vibrate. When the molecules stop vibrating, they sometimes produce visible light. Northern Lights can be colored green, violet, red, or white.

October 29:

• 1925: An autumn storm system brought 1.8 inches of snow to Springfield. This is the most snow on record for a 24-hour period in October.


• 1996: A fast moving squall line producing wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph across parts of northern and central Illinois. The storms downed power lines and trees, which in turn damaged buildings that they fell on. The highest wind gusts were recorded in northeastern Illinois, with a reading of 80 mph at McHenry and 79 mph at Carpentersville.

October 30:

• 1925: Record cold temperatures were found across central Illinois. Lows of 7 degrees in Peoria, 12 degrees in Decatur, and 13 degrees in Springfield and Champaign, stand as records for the month of October


• 2012: The powerful storm known as Hurricane Sandy, which came ashore in New Jersey at the end of October, impacted areas as far west as Illinois. Wind gusts in east central Illinois were as high as 40 mph on this date.

October 31:

• 2019: An early season winter storm brought accumulating snow to northern and central Illinois. Record October daily snowfall totals included 3.9 inches at Peoria, 3.4 inches at Chicago O'Hare Airport, 3.1 inches at Rockford, and 2.3 inches at Springfield.

November Weather Trivia

November 1:

• 1870: The first systematized and synchronous weather observations were taken at 24 stations across the U.S. at 7:35 am. These observations were transmitted via telegraph to Washington DC for plotting on a national weather map. The Army Signal Service was assigned the responsibility for taking these observations.


• 1950: Despite being about halfway into fall, temperatures across central Illinois rose into the 80's, establishing record high temperatures for November. Pana reported a high of 84 degrees, with 83 in Springfield and Decatur, 81 in Peoria, and 80 in Champaign.

November 2:

• Normal temperatures across central Illinois decrease significantly during the month, but are still fairly mild early on. Normal highs at the beginning of the month are in the upper 50's, with lows in the upper 30s. By the end of the month, highs in the mid 40's and lows in the mid 20's are more common.

November 3:

• 1880: November of 1880 still stands as the coldest November on record in parts of central Illinois. Peoria's average temperature was 30.2 degrees, and Springfield's average was 32.3 degrees.

November 4:

• Radiosondes are weather instruments that measure temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure of the atmosphere. These instruments are carried into the atmosphere using weather balloons, filled with hydrogen or helium. When inflated, the balloon is about 4 to 5 feet in diameter and several feet high. However, as the balloon ascends, the decreased effects of barometric pressure cause the balloon to expand. It will usually pop at an elevation close to 100,000 feet off the ground. By this time, the balloon is about the size of a garage.

November 5:

• 2005: Late season severe weather caused extensive wind damage across central and southeast Illinois, late on the 5th to just after midnight on the 6th. Peak wind gusts from the storms included 89 mph at the Lawrenceville Airport and 86 mph at Chrisman, where significant tree and structural damage occurred. Significant damage also occurred west of Bloomington, near Stanford.


• 2022: A prolonged (12-hour long) period of damaging winds occurred in northern and central Illinois, with measured wind gusts peaking between 55 and 75 mph. Winds first picked up abruptly at approximately 4:00 AM CDT along the back edge of departing showers. A wind gust of 77 mph was measured at the DuPage Airport, with 68 mph reported at Willard Airport south of Champaign.

November 6:

• 1885: A late-season tornado moved across Pike and Brown Counties of west central Illinois. The tornado unroofed two homes at Versailles, and one on the south edge of New Salem. A second tornado took an intermittent path from south of Canton, in Fulton County, to Alta, in Peoria County. Barns were swept away and debris was scattered for miles.

November 7:

• Areas near the Great Lakes frequently deal with lake-effect snow during the fall and winter. These snows are produced when cold air picks up moisture while traveling across the relatively warmer lake waters. The air then rises to form clouds and snow. Generally, these lake-effect snows are found along east or south shores of the Great Lakes, but a northeast wind will produce lake-effect snow in northeastern Illinois.

November 8:

• 1956: The average first freeze of the fall season normally occurs in Springfield on October 22nd. However, during the fall of 1956, the first freeze didn't occur until this date, November 8th.

November 9:

• 1864: A tornado in southeastern Missouri crossed the Mississippi River into southwestern Illinois, affecting the areas around Chester and Richview. A ferry boat on the river was hit, with much of the debris being blown over a quarter mile. Four people in Chester were killed when the late-night tornado destroyed 14 houses.


• 1984: A strong tornado moved across Bond and Fayette Counties, from Dudleyville to Brownstown. This tornado, with a track of 30 miles, damaged 175 homes. Much of the damage was in Brownstown, where 25 homes were destroyed and 144 were damaged. 11 injuries were reported.

November 10:

• 2002: Severe thunderstorms moving across southern Illinois produced two weak tornadoes, one in Franklin County near Royalton, and one in Jackson County near De Soto. Wind gusts over 60 mph were also reported in many areas, along with golf ball size hail north of Eddyville.


• 2015: An early season lake effect snow event produced up to a foot of snow in parts of northeast Illinois. Snowfall rates in excess of 2 inches occxurred parts of Kankakee and Lake Counties, accompanied by thunderstorms.

November 11:

• 1911: The “Great Blue Norther” raced across the Midwest, bringing a tremendous fall in temperatures. Afternoon temperatures well into the 70s across Illinois fell into the teens by midnight. Ahead of the cold front, tornadoes moved across Cass and Mason Counties of central Illinois. The Cass County tornado, estimated at EF2 intensity, touched down near Arenzville and moved through Virginia, where 100 buildings were damaged. 12 people were injured. In Mason County, a tornado moved from near Easton to the Logan/Mason County border west of San Jose. An infant and an elderly woman were killed in separate homes near Easton. Another tornado in the Chicago area tracked from near Aurora to Naperville, causing $10,000 damage.

November 12:

• 1965: A strong tornado touched down near Morris, moving northeast to near Channahon, Preston Heights, and Tinley Park. About 100 homes were badly damaged or destroyed by this tornado along its 36 mile path, with damage estimated at $7 million. A separate tornado further southwest destroyed a dozen planes and several hangars at the Streator airport.


• 2016: Above normal fall temperatures resulted in the first freeze not occurring until well into November. Records for the latest first freeze were set on this date in Decatur, Peoria, and Springfield.

November 13:

• 1951: A strong tornado moved across Jackson and Perry Counties of southern Illinois, along a 6 mile path. At Campbell Hill, the city hall and 10 homes were demolished, and the downtown area was severely damaged. Seven injuries were reported.

November 14:

• Ice crystals sometimes act as prisms in the sky. If the Sun is positioned right, they can bend light rays and reflect them back to the light source. This causes a display known as a “sun pillar”. Sun pillars are most likely around sunrise or sunset. They appear as columns of bright light extending upward or downward from the Sun.

November 15:

• 1988: A pair of strong tornadoes affected the eastern St. Louis metropolitan area. The stronger one touched down 3 miles north of Fairview Heights and moved to Troy. 3 electric power lines towers were knocked down, and a number of houses and other buildings were damaged. Damage in Madison County alone was $1 million.


• 2005: A tornado touched down 7 miles southwest of Newton. The tornado downed numerous trees and power lines. The majority of the structure damage impacted outbuildings, barns and grain bins. 11 outbuildings were severely damaged or destroyed. Three homes sustained minor damage. One attached garage was destroyed, with the debris carried 150 yards downwind. The tornado lifted about 3.5 miles northeast of Newton.


• 2020: A rapidly strengthening storm system resulted in frequent wind gusts across northern Illinois of 50 to 55 mph, with a peak gust of 69 mph reported at Chicago Midway Airport.

November 16:

• 1955: An early morning tornado moved across Union County, in southern Illinois. It tore roofs off homes and demolished other buildings along its path, from southwest of Jonesboro to Anna.

November 17:

• 1892: A tornado in southwestern Illinois moved across Monroe and Randolph Counties. About 80 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including 43 homes. Two people were killed, and seven others injured.


• 2013: A late season severe weather outbreak produced a total of 75 tornadoes across seven states. Of these, 25 occurred in Illinois, and 14 of those were at least EF2 strength. One violent, EF4 tornado was on the ground for 46 miles, and caused major damage in Washington, with some debris being found as far away as Chicago. This tornado caused 3 fatalities, and 125 injuries. Another EF4 tornado near New Minden was on the ground for 10 miles, killing 2 and injuring 2 others. Total damage from the tornadoes was estimated at $1.05 billion, with over $800 million damage in Washington alone. A wind gust of 70 mph at the Peoria airport tied its November record.

November 18:

• 1934: Late-season tornadoes moved across northwestern Illinois, affecting Rock Island, Henry, and Lee Counties. Five people near Kewanee were injured when two cars were hurled into a field.

November 19:

• 1991: A strong tornado struck the city of Marion, in southern Illinois, causing $30 million damage. The tornado destroyed 45 homes and damaged nearly 300 more. The tornado was on the ground for about 1-1/2 miles.

November 20:

• 1931: Mild weather prevailed across central Illinois during the month. Records for the warmest November average temperature were established at Springfield, with 52 degrees, and Peoria, with 50.2 degrees.

November 21:

• 2015: The first winter storm of the season produced heavy snow over a large area in northern Illinois, beginning on the 20th and continuing into late afternoon on the 21st. The highest snowfall amount of 19 inches was reported at Mundelein. Chicago reported 11.2 inches at O’Hare Airport, the second highest November snowfall on record. 8.8 inches occurred in Rockford.

November 22:

• Lenticular clouds are lens shaped in appearance, and frequently form one above another. They may lead to an increase in UFO sightings, because they can resemble spacecraft. Although they may be visible in Illinois on occasion, they are most common in mountainous areas

November 23:

• 1950: Peoria had its earliest sub-zero temperature on record, with a low temperature of 1 degree below zero. This stood as a November record until 1977. Ironically, the all-time November record high was recorded earlier that month.

November 24:

• 1950: The early season cold wave continued in central Illinois. High temperatures of 6 degrees in Springfield and 8 degrees in Peoria both established the coldest November high temperature on record. Record lows were also established at both sites, with temperatures below zero.

November 25:

• 1908: A tornado moved across 22 miles of Randolph and St. Clair Counties of southwest Illinois. Homes were overturned, a barn destroyed, and livestock killed. The local mail carrier was injured, as was the person that ran to warn him of the oncoming tornado.


• 1996: A winter storm brought a mixture of freezing rain, sleet, snow, and high winds to central Illinois. This was the result of a strong low pressure system moving northeast from the lower Mississippi Valley, combining with cold air pushing south out of the Northern Plains. Significant icing occurred, causing numerous accidents and power outages. Several injuries were reported.


• 2018: A blizzard struck the northwest half of Illinois during the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, causing the closure of several interstates during the post-holiday travel rush. A broad area received 8 to 15 inches of snow, and wind gusts over 45 mph resulted in whiteout conditions in open areas due to blowing snow. On the southern edge of this storm system, strong to severre thunderstorms were observed near St. Louis.

November 26:

• 1859: A tornado moved northeast across Pontiac during the late afternoon. Homes, stores and barns were destroyed by this tornado. No deaths were reported.


• 1977: Peoria's November record low temperature was established, with a temperature of 2 degrees below zero. The previous record had been set in 1950.

November 27:

• 1990: A tornado moved across the southern edge of Rushville, in Schuyler County, and moved northeast causing extensive damage to homes, barns, and trees in the Scab Hollow area. At least 3 homes were destroyed. Another tornado uprooted 36-inch-diameter oak trees in southwest Mason County. A third tornado in Tazewell County destroyed 32 airplanes and 4 hangars as it moved across an airport, causing $1.5 million damage.

November 28:

• Ice crystals in the sky can sometimes cause interesting displays of light. A halo is such a display. Halos are caused when light rays are bent by ice crystals, forming a ring around the sun or moon. Weather folklore says that halos can be used to forecast precipitation. This is sometimes true, because high clouds containing ice crystals are the first clouds to move into an area ahead of an approaching low pressure system.

November 29:

• 1975: Strong winds impacted much of the state. Considerable damage occurred at the Effingham County Airport early on the 30th, as winds ripped the roofs off several hangers. A wind gust of 76 mph at Springfield set a November record, and was the 2nd highest wind gust in its recorded history.


• 2001: An area of low pressure intensified as it moved over southeastern Illinois, creating strong gradient winds up to 62 mph. These winds only lasted for about half an hour. The winds blew down numerous large trees and power lines in Lawrence and Crawford counties. No injuries were reported.


• 2025: A large winter storm brought widespread significant snowfall to a sizable portion of the Midwest. Eight to 11 inches of snow fell over northern Illinois, with isolated totals near a fot close to the Wisconsin border. The 8.4 inches that fell at O'Hare Airport in Chicago broke the city's November calendar day snowfall record.

November 30:

• 1964: A low temperature of 3 degrees below zero was recorded at Springfield's Capital Airport. This set the city's November record low temperature.


• 2006: Widespread freezing rain and sleet affected many locations in central Illinois west of I-57 on the 30th, changing to snow overnight into the morning of December 1. Eleven counties in central Illinois reported ice ranging from a quarter to 2 inches thick, with the thickest ice around Decatur, Taylorville, Clinton and Mount Pulaski. Eight counties reported heavy sleet ranging in depth from a half to 2.2 inches. The heaviest snow occurred along and west of the Illinois River, where snow accumulations were 8 to 18 inches. Areas east of the Illinois River, especially along the I-55 corridor had snow amounts ranging from 3 to 8 inches on top of the ice and sleet.

December Weather Trivia

December 1:

• 1970: Record warmth spread across central Illinois. High temperatures included 72 degrees at Decatur, 70 degrees in Springfield, 68 degrees in Champaign, and 65 degrees in Peoria.


• 2008: A winter storm moved across the Midwest from November 30th through December 1st. Snow accumulations in excess of 6 inches were noted just north of the I-74 corridor. Considerable blowing snow occurred after the snow had ended.


• 2018: Just a week removed from an early season blizzard, a late season severe weather outbreak resulted in several tornadoes across central and southwest Illinois on December 1st. A total of 29 tornadoes occurred across the state, the largest December outbreak since 1957. The town of Taylorville (Christian County), was hardest hit. This particular supercell took a long path from the eastern fringes of the St. Louis metro area, to east of Bloomington. Other supercells tracked up the Illinois River valley in west central Illinois. A wind gust of 74 mph in Springfield set its December wind speed record.

December 2:

• 1982: A tremendous rainstorm in central Illinois brought 6.12 inches of rain to Springfield during a 24 hour period on the 2nd and 3rd. This is the most rain ever to fall in the city during such a time frame. Jacksonville had 4.80 inches, and Peoria recorded 2.89 inches during this period. Lake Springfield rose two feet over the old record stage, flooding nearby land. $100,000 damage occurred to the dam at the lake, due to the tremendous flow of water.

December 3:

• 1978: A winter storm brought very heavy snow to the northern third of the state, with freezing rain and thunderstorms across the central third. Snow totals of 10 inches or more extended from north of the Quad Cities to the northwest Chicago suburbs.


• 2012: December started unseasonably mild, with highs in the 60s and 70s. The high temperature of 74 degrees in Springfield on this date tied its December record high temperature.

December 4:

• 1973: A tornado touched down in Morgan County, moving across Murrayville and causing extensive damage to homes, trailers and other buildings. One injury was reported.


• 2024: Strong low pressure north of the Great Lake produced strong wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph over a large part of northern and central Illinois. Roof damage was noted to a building in Chicago's Douglas neighborhood, and power lines were downed in Gibson City. A 61 mph wind gust at Peoria set a record for the month.

December 5:

• 2002: A major winter storm brought significant snow and ice accumulations to all of southern Illinois, beginning the morning of the 4th and continuing into the morning of the 5th. The precipitation was mostly snow, except in counties bordering the Ohio River, where the snow changed to an extended period of freezing rain. Ice accumulations were around one quarter inch from Cairo to Metropolis and Golconda. Snow accumulations across southern Illinois were generally 6 to 8 inches. Travel was heavily impacted by the winter storm. Numerous vehicle accidents occurred. Schools were closed for the remainder of the week in some counties. The winter storm began during the early morning hours and ended late the following night.

December 6:

• 1978: Parts of northern Illinois affected by a snowstorm a few days earlier received another round of heavy snow, as did the west-central parts of the state. By the conclusion of the 3-day storm, the heaviest snow of 8 inches or more extended from near Keokuk, Iowa, northeast across the Galesburg area to near LaSalle. A second band of 6 ore more inches of snow extended from near Sterling east to Chicago.

December 7:

• 1830: The winter of 1830-31 was known as the “Winter of the Deep Snow” in Illinois. Records from Fort Armstrong (present-day Moline), Fort Dearborn (present-day Chicago), and Augusta indicated that heavy snowfall of 2 to 3 feet had fallen during the month of December. This severe winter, along with a poor corn harvest, compelled northern Illinoisans to seek grain in southern parts of the state, which had escaped the extreme conditions of the north. The furnishing of grain led to the use of the term “Little Egypt” being used to describe southern Illinois.

December 8:

• 1991: A late-season outbreak of severe thunderstorms moved across central Illinois. Baseball-size hail was reported at Manito in Mason County, as well as Tremont in Tazewell County. In Menard County, tennis-ball sized hail was reported at Petersburg. A tornado touched down in far southern McLean County near the town of McLean and moved east to near Heyworth. This tornado caused some damage to a manufacturing plant as well as several outbuildings on farms along the storm's path.

December 9:

• 1982: Springfield's wettest December on record occurred in 1982, with 8.94 inches. Most of this fell on the 3rd and 4th of the month. In comparison, Peoria recorded 5.45 inches during the month, less than what Springfield reported in a single day.

December 10:

• 2011: A major tornado outbreak impacted portions of the Midwest and Tennessee Valleys from late on the 10th into the 11th. Seven tornadoes occurred in central Illinois, with the strongest one (EF3 strength) killing six people at a warehouse in Edwardsville. One EF2 strength tornado was on the ground for 41 miles across Bond, Montgomery, Fayette, and Shelby Counties.

December 11:

• 1949: An out-of-season tornado moved across Christian and Shelby Counties, unroofing seven homes in Pana. One person was injured when a barn was destroyed. Another tornado near Hannibal, MO, moved across the Mississippi River into Pike County, damaging barns and sheds on 3 farms.


• 2000: A major winter storm affected a large part of central and northern Illinois. The heaviest snowfall of 10 to 15 inches occurred in Cook and DuPage Counties of the Chicago area, with 6 and 10 inches as far south as central Illinois, along and north of a Canton to Morton to Gridley line. Freezing rain and sleet mixed in with the snow, especially along and south of this line. Northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts to 45 mph, produced considerable blowing and drifting snow, with near blizzard conditions in northeast Illinois, and wind chills of 30 to 40 below zero. 19 people in the Chicago area died while shoveling snow, from heart failure or hypothermia.

December 12:

• 1855: The first weather observations began in downtown Peoria this month, at the corner of Washington and East Franklin. Dr. Frederick Brendel made the first observations of temperature and precipitation. His records, which span from 1855 through 1905, serve as the backbone of the Peoria climatological database.

December 13:

• 2000: Between 6 and 8 inches of snow accumulated along and east of a Bloomington to Decatur to Taylorville line, with a light ice coating on top of the heavy snow. The snow started between 8 and 10 am, with 6 inches accumulating by 5 pm, and ending by 10 pm. Freezing rain and sleet mixed in with the snow after 3 PM.


• 2013: A winter storm dumped several inches of snow across the northern 2/3 of the state on the 13th and 14th. The heaviest snow, of over 10 inches, was reported northeast of Rushville near Astoria. An area of 8 to 10 inches also occurred from Pana, northeast through Champaign, to Hoopeston.

December 14:

• 1889: A normal December brings about 5 inches of snow to Springfield and Peoria. Many Decembers have seen less than an inch of snow. However, only one year -- 1889 -- has not seen any snow during the month in Springfield. 1889 and 1890 are the only two snowless Decembers in Peoria history.


• 1919: Champaign's driest December on record occurred in 1919, when only 0.13 inch of precipitation was measured. Springfield and Peoria both reported 0.30 inch, for 3rd driest Decembers on record in both cities.

December 15:

• 1987: A powerful winter storm produced 6 to 12 inches of snow in an area from Quincy to Rockford to Chicago. Winds gusting as high as 75 to 90 mph produced blizzard conditions, downed power lines, and drifted roads closed. Snow totals included 11.4 inches in Rockford, 9.1 inches at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, 11.2 inches in Moline, and 8.9 inches in Peoria. The storm system also produced thunderstorms which lasted from 2 to 4 hours, an unusual length of time for a winter storm. The thunderstorms also produced sleet and hail, with 3/4 inch hail reported in Joliet.

December 16:

• 1996: A narrow band of heavy snow, only about 25 miles wide, extended across southern Illinois from Carbondale to Mount Vernon. Snowfall totals of 5 to 7 inches were reported. The precipitation initially started as rain, then changed to freezing rain and sleet before becoming snow. Numerous accidents occurred, as roads turned into skating rinks.

December 17:

• 1981: A two-day snowstorm produced heavy snow across the central third of Illinois. The heaviest snowfall, of 8-10 inches, fell from near Springfield east to Decatur.

December 18:

• 1957: An out of season severe weather outbreak produced 19 tornadoes in Illinois. Collectively, 13 people were killed and 259 injured, with property damage between $8-10 million. Tornadoes were reported as far north as Mason and Vermilion counties, but most of the tornadoes were across the southern third of the state. The city of Murphysboro was hardest hit, with 10 people killed and electricity lost for a few days. One of the tornadoes, in Perry County, reached F5 intensity, while F4 strength tornadoes affected the Mt Vernon and Murphysboro areas.

December 19:

• 1973: Heavy snow fell across much of central and northern Illinois over a 3-day period. The storm produced 10 to 18 inches of snow. As a result, travel was at a standstill for two days. Springfield recorded a total of 14.6 inches of snow from the storm.

December 20:

• 1981: A three-day winter storm across central Illinois produced freezing rain on this date, followed by very heavy snow on the 22nd. Snow totals were in excess of 8 inches in an area extending from Lincoln southwest to Jacksonville. 5 to 6 inches of snow were reported as far east as Champaign. The snow tapered off sharply to the south and north, with 1 inch or less north of Peoria and south of I-70.


• 2012: Areas along and west of I-55 saw widespread blizzard conditions, with the passage of an intense area of low pressure. The highest snow amounts of 3 to 5 inches occurred west of the Illinois River, and many areas saw wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph.

December 21:

• 1836: A spectacular cold front passed through Illinois. Although no reliable temperature records are available, estimates from eyewitness reports indicated that temperatures fell from the 40's to zero degrees almost instantly. The water in ponds and streams was pushed into waves by 70 mph winds, then froze in place. Small animals were frozen in their tracks. Two men near Rushville, in Schuyler County, froze to death. A man riding horseback from Chatham to Springfield started the trip in the rain; by the time he arrived, his coat was frozen solid, and he was frozen onto the saddle. This was the beginning of what was referred to as the “Winter of Starving Time” in Illinois.

December 22:

• 1989: Bitter cold gripped a good part of the nation for several days before Christmas. At the peak of the cold wave, temperatures fell to less than 20 below zero. Peoria reported 11 consecutive days with lows below zero, tying a record; the coldest temperature of 23 below zero on the 22nd was the 5th coldest on record in Peoria. Springfield reported a monthly record low temperature of 21 below zero on the 23rd, as did Champaign on the 22nd; Decatur had its second coldest December temperature on record with a 21 below zero reading on the 22nd.


• 2023: A powerful Arctic cold front surged into the Midwest bringing snow, strong winds, and bitterly cold temperatures in its wake. While snowfall accumulations generally only ranged between 1 and 5 inches, a rapidly deepening area of low pressure associated with the front caused strong winds that gusted in excess of 50 mph at times, and produced substantial blowing and drifting snow that led to blizzard conditions at times. Additionally, the frigid temperatures with wind chills as low as -40F mitigated the effectiveness of road treatments and allowed for many roadways to remain snow and ice-covered into the next day.

December 23:

• 1983: Springfield was in the midst of a record long cold wave. During the period from the 22nd through the 26th, the city saw temperatures of zero or colder for 101.5 hours. The cold spell contributed to an average temperature for the month of only 16.1 degrees, a December record.


• 1996: Out-of-season severe thunderstorms moved across central and southern Illinois. Southeast of St. Louis, a tornado touched down near the town of Evansville, damaging several buildings and uprooting trees. Hail of 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter fell as far north as Tazewell and McLean Counties.

December 24:

• 1915: Springfield reported 10.5 inches of snow on this Christmas Eve, setting a record for the date. This served as most of the 13.4 inches that fell during the month, a total which stands as the 5th snowiest December on record.

December 25:

• The chance of a “White Christmas” is based on 30 years’ worth of climatological data. It gives the likelihood of there being at least 1 inch of snow on the ground Christmas morning, regardless of when it actually fell. In Illinois, chances of a White Christmas range from around 50% near Lake Michigan, to around 10% along the Ohio River. In central parts of Illinois, the chance is around 25 to 30%.

December 26:

• 1988: A narrow band of heavy snow affected northern Illinois, from Rockford to Chicago to Kankakee. Snow totals included 14 inches in Kankakee, and 9.5 inches in Rockford.


• 2012: Blizzard conditions occurred over portions of southeast Illinois, as a storm system produced widespread heavy snow across the western Ohio Valley. Snowfall totals were close to a foot around Lawrenceville. However, there was a very sharp cutoff to the snow, with only an inch occurring around Effingham.

December 27:

• 2008: A strong cold front pushed into an unseasonably warm air mass over central Illinois, causing severe thunderstorms with widespread wind damage. In Springfield, part of the roof was blown off a school, and 3 large barns and the grandstand were damaged at the state fairgrounds. In addition, heavy rain fell on partially frozen ground, causing flooding in a few areas.


• 2015: A multi-faceted storm system brought several periods of heavy rain to central and southern Illinois from December 26th through 28th. Widespread rainfall of 3 to 6 inches occurred, with locally higher amounts. The amount of rain falling on saturated soils from recent wet conditions produced widespread flash flooding and fast rises on creeks and streams. Once the flash flooding subsided, ongoing areal and river flooding persisted into January 2016. Many rivers climbed to major flood stage as a result of the excessive rainfall. The flooding situation was made even worse by levee breaches, including one along the Embarras River near the Jasper-Crawford County line. Four people died as a result of this major flooding event across central Illinois. All four died when their vehicles were swept away by high water in Christian County early in the morning of December 29th.

December 28:

• 1924: Record cold was found across central Illinois. Peoria's low temperature of 24 degrees below zero established a December record, while daily record lows were established at Champaign, at 20 below zero, and Springfield, at 14 below zero.


• 1984: Spring-like weather spread across Illinois just a week after astronomical winter began. Springfield recorded a high temperature of 74 degrees, which tied the city's December record high. A high of 70 in Peoria stands as the second warmest December temperature on record, while Champaign recorded a daily record high of 68 degrees.


• 2012: The second winter storm of the week produced 7 inches of snow in Lawrenceville. By the next morning, there were 16 inches on the ground, establishing Lawrenceville’s record snow depth.

December 29:

• 1973: Springfield's snowiest December on record was noted during this month, with a total of 22.7 inches of snow. Much of it fell in a two-day period, on the 18th and 19th. The month also serves as the 3rd snowiest month ever.

December 30:

• 1978: The northern 2/3 of Illinois started to feel the effects of a 3-day winter storm. Parts of the northeast received up to 20 inches of snow, with 8 inches being reported as far south as the Illinois River southwest of Peoria.

December 31:

• 2010: Severe thunderstorms moved through central Illinois on New Years Eve. The majority of the damage was confined to the Lake Petersburg area of Menard County, where an EF3-strength tornado caused extensive damage near the lake. The tornado was on the ground for 3.6 miles.