May 3, 2021 Preliminary Severe Weather Recap

A series of severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds across central Illinois on May 3rd. Preliminary information regarding the event can be found on the "Reports" tab below. The meteorological summary and event photos will be updated over the next few days.

Reports

Meteorology

Radar and Satellite

Photos

Details regarding the tornadoes that occurred across central Illinois on May 3rd can be seen below. A list of all severe weather reports (including hail and damaging wind) is included after the damage survey information.


    
                        

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Public Information Statement

National Weather Service Lincoln IL

133 AM CDT Wed Jun 24 2026



...Correction to the path of the Stewardson Tornado...



...NWS Damage Survey for 6/21/2026 Tornado Event - Update #1...



.Stewardson Tornado...



Rating:                 EF0

Estimated Peak Wind:    75 mph

Path Length /statute/:  1.29 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   150 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             03:22 PM CDT

Start Location:         2 N Shumway / Shelby County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          39.2169 / -88.6541



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               03:24 PM CDT

End Location:           2 S Stewardson / Shelby County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            39.2295 / -88.6364



Survey Summary:

The tornado in a field in far southern Shelby County and moved

northeast. It hit one farmstead and did minor tree damage and

peeled parts of the metal off a barn. The tornado continued

northeast and dissipated near the intersection of E 100 North Rd

and N 2700 East Rd.



.Louisville Tornado...



Rating:                 EF1

Estimated Peak Wind:    100 mph

Path Length /statute/:  4.58 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   200 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             03:30 PM CDT

Start Location:         2 SSW Louisville / Clay County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          38.7442 / -88.5178



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               03:37 PM CDT

End Location:           3 NE Louisville / Clay County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            38.7909 / -88.466



Survey Summary:

The tornado was observed 2 miles south-southwest of Louisville

just south of Grover Creek Ln. The tornado moved northeast

entering the south side of town, removing a large portion of the

roof of a business storage building and attached residence. The

tornado continued through town in a weakened state with minor

branch damage occurring. The tornado re-intensified just

northeast of town where is snapped off power poles and large

trees along Old Bible Grove Rd. The tornado moved northeast and

damaged a few more trees before dissipating near Slate Rd.



.South Pekin Landspout...



Rating:                 EFU

Estimated Peak Wind:    N/A

Path Length /statute/:  0.19 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   20 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             03:35 PM CDT

Start Location:         3 WSW South Pekin / Tazewell County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          40.4889 / -89.711



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               03:35 PM CDT

End Location:           3 WSW South Pekin / Tazewell County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            40.4912 / -89.709



Survey Summary:

Video shared of a landspout tornado south of Pekin, but caused no

damage.



.Neoga Tornado...



Rating:                 EF1

Estimated Peak Wind:    90 mph

Path Length /statute/:  0.85 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   75 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             03:43 PM CDT

Start Location:         1 SE Neoga / Cumberland County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          39.3055 / -88.4332



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               03:44 PM CDT

End Location:           1 E Neoga / Cumberland County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            39.3178 / -88.4318



Survey Summary:

The tornado touched down about 1 mile southeast of Neoga, on the

east side of I-57. It damaged a few farm outbuildings and trees

along its path, which was less than 1 mile long, lifting just

north of County Road 1000 N.



.Bradbury Tornado...



Rating:                 EF0

Estimated Peak Wind:    80 mph

Path Length /statute/:  6.36 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   350 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             04:06 PM CDT

Start Location:         2 NNE Toledo / Cumberland County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          39.3098 / -88.2259



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               04:17 PM CDT

End Location:           4 E Janesville / Coles County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            39.377 / -88.155



Survey Summary:

The tornado began about 1 mile southeast of Bradbury near County

Road 1350. It tracked northeast, damaging several trees and a

couple of farm outbuildings. It turned east-northeastward and

tracked just south of Cottonwood, causing more tree damage before

lifting northwest of Diona near the county line.



.Newton South Tornado...



Rating:                 EF2

Estimated Peak Wind:    120 mph

Path Length /statute/:  3.73 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   250 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             04:07 PM CDT

Start Location:         3 S Newton / Jasper County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          38.941 / -88.1743



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               04:14 PM CDT

End Location:           2 ESE Newton / Jasper County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            38.9733 / -88.1215



Survey Summary:

The tornado touched down about 2 miles south of Newton where it

produced EF2 tree damage. It progressed to the northeast and

crossed Hwy 130 before dissipating just northeast of the

intersection of E 850 Ave and N 1325th St. The tornado cause

significant tree damage along Hwy 130 and again along N 1325 St.

It also destroyed an outbuilding along N 1100th St and tossed the

debris in several directions.



.Newton East Tornado...



Rating:                 EF2

Estimated Peak Wind:    115 mph

Path Length /statute/:  2.68 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   300 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             04:15 PM CDT

Start Location:         3 ESE Newton / Jasper County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          38.9717 / -88.1161



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               04:18 PM CDT

End Location:           3 WSW Willow Hill / Jasper County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            38.9845 / -88.0705



Survey Summary:

Radar supports a new tornado developing in the area of N 1400 St

near the Embarrass River where it destroyed an outbuilding and

caused tree damage. It progressed northeast through wooded areas,

causing significant tree damage. Numerous very large trees were

snapped off and other tree tops were shredded. Corn in the fields

was flattened into the ground, with a suction vortice evident

down the central path. The tornado continued across the Embarrass

River crossing 900th Ave, causing more tree damage before

dissipating near N 1600th St line of woods.



.Annapolis North Tornado...



Rating:                 EF1

Estimated Peak Wind:    100 mph

Path Length /statute/:  6.98 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   600 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             04:36 PM CDT

Start Location:         3 SW Annapolis / Crawford County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          39.1085 / -87.8583



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               04:49 PM CDT

End Location:           4 E Annapolis / Crawford County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            39.1456 / -87.7444



Survey Summary:

The tornado began 3 miles southwest of Annapolis and tracked east-

northeast toward N825th St. It continued northeast from there,

ending about 4 miles east of Annapolis north of E 2000th Ave.

Damage along the path was mostly to trees and electrical

transmission lines.



.Annapolis South Tornado...



Rating:                 EF1

Estimated Peak Wind:    95 mph

Path Length /statute/:  2.01 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   600 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             04:41 PM CDT

Start Location:         3 SSE Annapolis / Crawford County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          39.0974 / -87.8018



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               04:44 PM CDT

End Location:           3 SE Annapolis / Crawford County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            39.1084 / -87.7673



Survey Summary:

The tornado touched down about 3 miles SSE of Annapolis and

progressed northeast for 2 miles. During its lifespan it produced

primarily tree damage, along with some minor roof damage to a

garage. The tornado reached peak intensity near E 1700th Ave and

N 825th St where large trees were uprooted. The remainder of the

damage was minor tree damage.



.Birds Tornado...



Rating:                 EF1

Estimated Peak Wind:    100 mph

Path Length /statute/:  4.36 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   300 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             05:25 PM CDT

Start Location:         3 W Birds / Lawrence County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          38.8405 / -87.725



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               05:35 PM CDT

End Location:           2 NNE Birds / Crawford County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            38.8676 / -87.656



Survey Summary:

The tornado touched down about 3 miles west of Birds and travels

for 4.3 miles to the east and northeast. It dissipated about

2 miles north of Birds in southern Crawford County. During its

time on the ground it produced primarily tree damage. The peak

wind speeds occurred after it crossed Hwy 1 and uprooted and

snapped numerous trees between Hwy 1 and E 1350th St.



.Hadley Tornado...



Rating:                 EF1

Estimated Peak Wind:    95 mph

Path Length /statute/:  3.20 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   300 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             05:53 PM CDT

Start Location:         2 SE Claremont / Richland County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          38.6871 / -87.948



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               06:01 PM CDT

End Location:           3 SSW Sumner / Lawrence County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            38.684 / -87.8889



Survey Summary:

The tornado developed 3 miles to the southwest of Hadley. It

traveled east through farmland, damaging many trees before

lifting southeast of Hadley.



.Edinburg Tornado...



Rating:                 EFU

Estimated Peak Wind:    N/A

Path Length /statute/:  0.06 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   20 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             07:27 PM CDT

Start Location:         2 WSW Edinburg / Christian County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          39.65 / -89.4305



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               07:27 PM CDT

End Location:           2 WSW Edinburg / Christian County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            39.65 / -89.4295



Survey Summary:

A trained spotter reported a brief touchdown west of Edinburg. No

damage was reported.



.Tower Hill Tornado...



Rating:                 EFU

Estimated Peak Wind:    N/A

Path Length /statute/:  0.11 miles

Path Width /maximum/:   20 yards

Fatalities:             0

Injuries:               0



Start Date:             06/21/2026

Start Time:             08:07 PM CDT

Start Location:         2 SW Tower Hill / Shelby County / IL

Start Lat/Lon:          39.3599 / -88.991



End Date:               06/21/2026

End Time:               08:07 PM CDT

End Location:           2 SW Tower Hill / Shelby County / IL

End Lat/Lon:            39.3601 / -88.9889



Survey Summary:

A trained spotter reported a brief tornado touchdown near Tower

Hill. No damage was reported.



&&



EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the

following categories:



EF0.....65 to 85 mph

EF1.....86 to 110 mph

EF2.....111 to 135 mph

EF3.....136 to 165 mph

EF4.....166 to 200 mph

EF5.....>200 mph



NOTE:

The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to

change pending final review of the events and publication in

NWS Storm Data.





$$



NWS ILX

A list of all storm reports that occurred across central Illinois on May 3rd can be seen below:

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1122 PM CDT MON MAY 3 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0455 PM     HAIL             3 SSE BLUFF SPRINGS     39.95N 90.33W
05/03/2021  E1.50 INCH       CASS               IL   COCORAHS         



0504 PM     HAIL             VIRGINIA                39.95N 90.21W
05/03/2021  E1.50 INCH       CASS               IL   PUBLIC           

            RELAYED BY BROADCAST MEDIA. DAMAGE TO CARS. 

0505 PM     TORNADO          3 S VIRGINIA            39.91N 90.21W
05/03/2021                   CASS               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER  

            ON GROUND IN OPEN FIELD. DIME SIZED HAIL. 

0515 PM     HAIL             4 WSW NEWMANSVILLE      39.98N 90.08W
05/03/2021  E1.00 INCH       CASS               IL   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE 

            RELAYED BY ASHLAND FIRE. 

0527 PM     TORNADO          2 WNW PLEASANT PLAINS   39.88N 89.95W
05/03/2021                   SANGAMON           IL   STORM CHASER     

            CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS REPORT OF TORNADO 3 N 
            ASHLAND. 

0532 PM     HAIL             3 S PETERSBURG          39.97N 89.85W
05/03/2021  E1.00 INCH       MENARD             IL   AMATEUR RADIO    



0532 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 S PETERSBURG          39.97N 89.85W
05/03/2021                   MENARD             IL   AMATEUR RADIO    

            POWER POLES BLOWN DOWN INTO FIELD. 

0610 PM     TORNADO          1 ESE DAWSON            39.85N 89.45W
05/03/2021                   SANGAMON           IL   PUBLIC           

            BRIEF TOUCHDOWN NEAR I-72. 

0612 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 N DAWSON              39.90N 89.46W
05/03/2021                   SANGAMON           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER  

            POWER POLES DOWNED. 

0614 PM     TORNADO          1 NW MECHANICSBURG      39.82N 89.41W
05/03/2021  UF1              SANGAMON           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER  

            CORRECTS PREVIOUS TORNADO REPORT FROM 1 NW 
            MECHANICSBURG. 

0718 PM     HAIL             1 S MACON               39.70N 89.00W
05/03/2021  E1.00 INCH       MACON              IL   PUBLIC           



0728 PM     HAIL             5 WSW ROSAMOND          39.35N 89.25W
05/03/2021  E2.00 INCH       CHRISTIAN          IL   TRAINED SPOTTER  



0824 PM     TSTM WND DMG     CHARLESTON              39.48N 88.18W
05/03/2021                   COLES              IL   EMERGENCY MNGR   

            TREE BLOWN DOWN. 


&&

$$

The following is a technical overview of the meteorological conditions that occurred during the May 3rd severe weather event across central Illinois.

On Monday, May 3rd, thunderstorms developed along a cold front in north central Missouri and progressed into west central Illinois by mid-afternoon. Widespread cloud cover was in place across central Illinois through much of the morning and afternoon, but clouds diminished ahead of the cold front. In areas where the sun came out ahead of the front, temperatures climbed into the upper 70s. Dew point temperatures were in the mid-60s, resulting in a moderately unstable environment with around 1500 J/kg of mixed-layer convective available potential energy (MLCAPE). This instability combined with 35-45 knots of deep layer wind shear was supportive of severe weather. The angle between the shear vectors and the cold front was greater than 45 degrees, allowing for the development of supercells. The first image below shows the surface observations as of 22z/5pm, with the cold front pushing into west central Illinois. The second image shows the MLCAPE as of 22z/5pm. Note the lack of blue shading across central Illinois indicating the atmosphere is unstable and ready for thunderstorm development in the presence of a forcing mechanism (in this case, the forcing mechanism was the cold front). The second image shows the shear vectors at the same time.

The tornado threat was enhanced by a mesoscale convective vortex (MCV), an area of spin in the atmosphere that formed as a result of thunderstorms the previous day across Kansas/Nebraska, which tracked across north-central Missouri then northeastward across the Illinois River Valley. This MCV contributed to a surface wind shift, from southwesterly to southeasterly, ahead of the cold front. This localized wind shift increased the low-level wind shear, which increased the tornado potential.

Several severe thunderstorms developed along the cold front and moved through central Illinois. The strongest storm tracked from Cass County east-southeastward towards Coles County. That storm produced at least four tornadoes and up to 2" hail (hen egg sized). (See the "Reports" tab for complete details regarding the location of tornadoes). All four tornadoes occurred primarily in open fields, and a tornado rating could not be assigned due to the lack of damage. The other severe thunderstorms produced large hail, but did not produce tornadoes. Overall, damage reports from the event were fairly limited. Power poles were blown down in Sangamon County, however, it is believed this damage was caused by straight line winds. Ping pong ball sized hail caused damage to vehicles in Virginia, IL. An observer five miles north of Buffalo, IL, reported that enough half-inch sized hail stones fell to cover the ground in hail.

Satellite Loop

Visible and IR satellite loop showing storm initiation in north-central Missouri during the late morning hours of May 3rd. As it moves eastward, a line of thunderstorms quickly develops and strengthens upon reaching the Illinois border with cold cloud tops (orange colors) indicating persistent updrafts. Additional cells develop southward into the favorable storm environment while the line progresses across the state. After sunset, storms begin to lose energy and weaken as they approach the Indiana border.

Closer Look at Tornadic Storm

The loop below is a base reflectivity animation focusing on the supercell that went on to produce 5 tornados in central Illinois. This radar loop shows the early stages of this storm and spans 16 minutes from 4:41-4:57 PM local time. In this loop, red boxes indicate a severe thunderstorm warning and the purple box indicates a tornado warning.

Photos of the thunderstorms across central Illinois. This section will be updated. If you have photos of the storms that you would like for us to include in the event summary, send us a tweet at @NWSLincolnIL with your picture, location, and permission to use your photo.