Overview
Severe thunderstorms developed over portions of central Illinois during the afternoon hours of Thursday, April 18, 2024. Damaging winds and a few tornadoes were reported along and south of the I-72 corridor. The hardest hit area stretched from the east side of Springfield northeastward to near Clinton where numerous reports of wind damage were received. Four tornadoes were confirmed including an EF-1 in Latham (Logan County), an EF-1 one mile south of Latham (Logan into Macon County), an EF-1 in Warrensburg (Macon County), and an EF-1 west of Argenta (Macon County).
Tornadoes:
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Tornado - Latham
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Tornado - Latham South
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Tornado - Warrensburg
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Tornado - Forsyth-Argenta
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The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
| EF0 Weak 65-85 mph |
EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph |
EF2 Significant 111-135 mph |
EF3 Severe 136-165 mph |
EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph |
EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph |
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Photos & Video
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| Warrensburg damage (NWS Survey) |
Latham damage (NWS Survey) |
Warrensburg tornado (Warrensburg Fire Chief Keith Hackl) |
Tree damage 2 miles north of Forsyth (NWS Survey) |
Radar
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| 2-panel radar imagery in Logan County at 7:05 pm CDT (0.5 degree reflectivity and velocity) |
2-panel radar imagery in Logan County at 7:15 pm CDT ​(0.5 degree reflectivity and velocity) |
2-panel radar imagery in Logan County at 7:23 pm CDT ​(0.5 degree reflectivity and velocity) |
2-panel radar imagery in Logan County at 7:35 pm CDT ​(0.5 degree reflectivity and velocity) |
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| MRMS 4 hr Rotation Tracks as of 9 PM Apr 18 | Radar loop of severe warned storm that moved through northern Sangamon, southern Logan, & western Macon counties. |
Storm Reports
Preliminary Local Storm Report...Summary National Weather Service Lincoln IL 1239 PM CDT Fri Apr 19 2024 ..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON... ..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS.. 0720 PM Tornado 1 WSW Latham 39.96N 89.17W 04/18/2024 Logan IL NWS Storm Survey NWS storm damage survey confirmed an EF-0 tornado with estimated peak winds of 85 mph near Latham, IL. The damage path length is 1.11 miles and max width of 200 yds. It was on the ground for 2 minutes and did mostly tree damage. It also blew the roof off one business building in Latham. 0722 PM Tornado 1 SE Latham 39.95N 89.15W 04/18/2024 Logan IL NWS Storm Survey NWS storm survey damage survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado with estimated peak winds of 95 mph in southeast Logan and northwest Macon counties that moved southeast and then east through Warrensburg. The damage path length is 7.19 miles and max width of 300 yds. The tornado damaged several outbuildings and threw the debris to the southeast. The tornado was on the ground for 9 min and damaged several homes and numerous trees in Warrensburg and then dissipated east of town. 0737 PM Tornado 3 NNW Forsyth 39.97N 88.97W 04/18/2024 Macon IL NWS Storm Survey NWS storm damage survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado with estimated peak winds of 90 mph in Macon county 3 miles north-northwest of Forsyth. The damage path is 7 miles with a max width of 500 yds. The tornado was on the ground for 8 min and damaged trees, grain bins and power poles. The tornado traveled east and dissipated about 1 mile west of Argenta. 0657 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Riverton 39.85N 89.54W 04/18/2024 Sangamon IL Emergency Mngr Numerous trees were blown down from Riverton eastward. 0745 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 NE Oreana 39.96N 88.85W 04/18/2024 Macon IL Public Power poles tilted over on route 48 between Oreana and Argenta. Time estimated from radar. 0747 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 S Argenta 39.96N 88.82W 04/18/2024 Macon IL Emergency Mngr Delayed report. Semi blown over on Interstate 72 at mile marker 150. 0749 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Argenta 39.98N 88.82W 04/18/2024 Macon IL Broadcast Media Delayed report. Social media images show a destroyed grain bin and a damaged farm outbuilding. 0749 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Argenta 39.98N 88.82W 04/18/2024 Macon IL Public Large tree snapped and numerous branches down. Pictures via social media. Time estimated from radar. 0718 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 ESE Mount Pulaski 39.99N 89.25W 04/18/2024 Logan IL Emergency Mngr Three power poles are leaning near the intersection of Route 121 and 1842nd Avenue. 0719 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 WSW Latham 39.95N 89.22W 04/18/2024 Logan IL Emergency Mngr Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 3 WSW Latham. Several trees were down, but no structural damage was noted in this area. (Previous report was roof damage). 0720 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Latham 39.97N 89.16W 04/18/2024 Logan IL Emergency Mngr A tree was blown down. 0720 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Latham 39.97N 89.16W 04/18/2024 Logan IL Fire Dept/Rescue The roof of a home was severely damaged. 0720 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Latham 39.97N 89.16W 04/18/2024 Logan IL Broadcast Media A semi was overturned on Route 121 near Latham. Possible injuries. 0835 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 S Sumner 38.67N 87.86W 04/18/2024 Lawrence IL Emergency Mngr Several large trees down. 0749 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 S Dieterich 39.02N 88.38W 04/18/2024 Effingham IL Broadcast Media Delayed report. Large tree blown over. 0738 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Clinton 40.15N 88.96W 04/18/2024 De Witt IL Fire Dept/Rescue Numerous power lines were blown down. 0753 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 E Clinton 40.16N 88.91W 04/18/2024 De Witt IL Public Delayed report. Garage roof blown off. Four utility poles and multiple trees blown down. Time estimated by radar. 0840 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 SW Champaign 40.10N 88.28W 04/18/2024 Champaign IL Broadcast Media report of a power line down into a tree. KCMI gusted to 52 mph with storms. && $$
Rain Reports
...24 HOUR PRECIPITATION REPORTS... Location Amount Provider ...Illinois... ...Cass County... 3 SE Bluff Springs 0.63 in COCORAHS Beardstown 0.61 in CWOP ...Champaign County... 4 N Fisher 1.02 in Cocorahs Champaign 2.3 SSE 0.73 in COCORAHS Mahomet 0.72 in COCORAHS Mahomet 1.8 ENE 0.68 in COCORAHS Urbana 2.6 ENE 0.68 in COCORAHS Mahomet 1.0 NW 0.67 in COCORAHS Mahomet 1.6 E 0.63 in COCORAHS Urbana 1.9 ENE 0.63 in COCORAHS Champaign 2.2 SSE 0.62 in COCORAHS Fisher 0.62 in COOP 1 NE Rantoul 0.62 in COCORAHS Champaign 0.3 NNE 0.62 in COCORAHS Champaign 0.7 SW 0.61 in COCORAHS Champaign 2.4 SSE 0.61 in COCORAHS Champaign 0.3 ESE 0.60 in COCORAHS Champaign 0.6 NNE 0.59 in COCORAHS Sidney 0.9 N 0.58 in COCORAHS Champaign 2.9 SSW 0.58 in COCORAHS Urbana 0.57 in COCORAHS Urbana 1.0 WSW 0.55 in COCORAHS Urbana 0.3 SE 0.55 in COCORAHS Urbana 2.2 SE 0.54 in COCORAHS Penfield 2.6 N 0.53 in COCORAHS Mahomet 1.7 NNE 0.51 in COCORAHS Broadlands 0.1 SSW 0.49 in COCORAHS Willard Arpt 0.48 in ASOS Champaign 2.6 WNW 0.47 in COCORAHS Urbana 1.6 ESE 0.46 in COCORAHS Rantoul Arpt 0.46 in AWOS Urbana 2.3 SSE 0.45 in COCORAHS Homer 2.0 N 0.36 in COCORAHS Ogden 0.35 in COOP Homer 3.1 SW 0.35 in COCORAHS Homer 2.1 NNE 0.34 in COCORAHS Philo 0.32 in COCORAHS St. Joseph 1.1 ENE 0.24 in COCORAHS ...Christian County... 3 S Assumption 1.03 in Cocorahs MORRISONVILLE 0.98 in CWOP 2.5 W Taylorville 0.73 in COOP Pana 6.2 NNE 0.23 in COCORAHS Edinburg 3.0 W 0.12 in COCORAHS ...Clark County... Marshall 1.1 SSW 0.44 in COCORAHS Casey 0.30 in COOP ...Clay County... Flora 0.74 in COOP Clay City 6 SSE 0.71 in COOP ...Coles County... Coles Co. Mem AP 0.96 in ASOS Mattoon 0.5 NW 0.95 in COCORAHS ...Crawford County... 2.0 W Robinson 0.85 in COOP ...Cumberland County... Neoga 0.80 in COOP ...De Witt County... Waynesville 0.92 in CWOP Farmer City 1.5 SSW 0.82 in COCORAHS Lane 0.79 in CWOP Farmer City 2.7 WSW 0.55 in COCORAHS ...Douglas County... Newman 0.83 in COCORAHS Camargo 4.5 ESE 0.47 in COCORAHS Arcola 0.32 in CWOP Tuscola 0.28 in COOP Tuscola 0.5 WSW 0.28 in COCORAHS ...Edgar County... Kansas 3.7 SSE 0.48 in COCORAHS Paris 0.28 in COOP Edgar Co. Arpt 0.23 in AWOS ...Effingham County... Watson 0.50 in COCORAHS Effingham 1SE 0.49 in COOP Teutopolis 3.4 SE 0.47 in COCORAHS Beecher City 0.46 in COOP ...Fulton County... Bryant 1.29 in Cocorahs Lewistown 1.17 in Cocorahs 1 E Canton 1.02 in Cocorahs Avon 0.97 in COOP Fairview 2.0 SE 0.80 in COCORAHS ...Jasper County... 1.1 W Newton 0.70 in COOP Newton 0.69 in CWOP Yale 0.1 SSW 0.37 in COCORAHS ...Knox County... Knoxville 1.06 in CO-OP Observer Knoxville 0.7 NW 0.96 in COCORAHS Galesburg 0.88 in COOP Galesburg 2.5 N 0.81 in COCORAHS Yates City 0.80 in COOP Delong 0.79 in CWOP Williamsfield 1.7 NNE 0.78 in COCORAHS Altona 4.7 ESE 0.74 in COCORAHS Galesburg Arpt 0.56 in AWOS ...Lawrence County... Lawrenceville AP 0.94 in ASOS 1 W Lawrenceville 0.72 in COCORAHS 1.7 W Lawrenceville 0.72 in COOP ...Logan County... 1 NNE Logan County Airport 1.25 in Cocorahs Lincoln 1.15 in Cocorahs Mount Pulaski 1.05 in CO-OP Observer 2 NW Chestnut 0.80 in COCORAHS Elkhart 0.7 ENE 0.75 in COCORAHS Hartsburg 3.2 E 0.41 in COCORAHS New Holland 0.40 in COCORAHS ...Macon County... Illiopolis 4.4 NNE 0.55 in COCORAHS Warrensburg 0.6 E 0.43 in COCORAHS Decatur Arpt 0.09 in ASOS Decatur 1 SSE 0.08 in COOP ...Marshall County... Sparland 3.4 NNW 0.97 in COCORAHS Henry 1.4 SW 0.94 in COCORAHS Henry 0.88 in CWOP Toluca 0.5 N 0.69 in COCORAHS Lacon Arpt 0.67 in AWOS ...Mason County... 0.7 W Havana 0.47 in HADS ...McLean County... 3 NE Bellflower 1.15 in Cocorahs Arrowsmith 1.12 in CWOP Le Roy 0.7 ENE 0.92 in COCORAHS Le Roy 1.8 WSW 0.89 in COCORAHS Cooksville 0.84 in CWOP Bloomington 3.9 ESE 0.81 in COCORAHS Heyworth 0.6 E 0.75 in COCORAHS Bloomington 0.69 in COOP Bloomington 1.6 WSW 0.68 in COCORAHS Bloomington 2.7 NE 0.61 in COCORAHS Bloomington 3.7 NE 0.61 in COCORAHS Bloomington Arpt 0.54 in AWOS Carlock 0.1 ESE 0.37 in COCORAHS Towanda 0.37 in CWOP Bloomington 3.8 SW 0.35 in COCORAHS 4 NE Normal 0.30 in COOP Normal 1.4 WNW 0.30 in COCORAHS ...Menard County... Petersburg 1.3 N 0.88 in COCORAHS Petersburg 0.2 W 0.85 in COCORAHS Petersburg 6.5 SSE 0.60 in COCORAHS Athens 4 WSW 0.60 in COOP ...Morgan County... Jacksonville Arpt 0.57 in AWOS Jacksonville 1.2 SW 0.45 in COCORAHS 1 NNE Jacksonville Airport 0.38 in COCORAHS Jacksonville 2.6 SE 0.34 in COCORAHS 2.0 E Jacksonville 0.33 in COOP Jacksonville 0.31 in COOP ...Moultrie County... Arthur 0.8 NNW 0.31 in COCORAHS Lovington 0.24 in COOP Lovington 4.1 NNW 0.13 in COCORAHS ...Peoria County... Peoria Intl Arpt 1.02 in ASOS Dunlap 2.6 NE 0.97 in COCORAHS Dunlap 2.6 S 0.90 in COCORAHS Peoria Heights 0.83 in CWOP Peoria 5 NW 0.82 in COOP ...Piatt County... White Heath 3.7 NNE 0.83 in COCORAHS Monticello 0.4 ENE 0.65 in COCORAHS 2 S De Land 0.58 in COCORAHS Cisco 2.1 NNE 0.51 in COCORAHS Cisco 0.50 in COOP Mansfield 3.2 NE 0.34 in COCORAHS 4 NE Hammond 0.17 in COCORAHS 4 N Cerro Gordo 0.16 in COCORAHS ...Richland County... 2 S Olney 1.51 in CO-OP Observer Olney 1.5 NE 1.26 in COCORAHS Olney Noble AP 1.17 in AWOS ...Sangamon County... Sherman 0.54 in COOP Springfield 2.0 N 0.54 in COCORAHS Springfield 4.4 W 0.51 in COCORAHS Buffalo 0.43 in COOP 4 NNE Curran 0.33 in COCORAHS Lake Springfield 0.32 in COOP Springfield 6.3 S 0.28 in COCORAHS ...Schuyler County... Rushville 4.1 NE 0.96 in COCORAHS 0.6 NE Ripley 0.21 in COOP ...Shelby County... 2 E Shelbyville 1.40 in CO-OP Observer 1 ENE Shelbyville 1.35 in Cocorahs Windsor 0.55 in COOP Moweaqua 2 S 0.49 in COOP ...Stark County... Toulon 0.5 ESE, IL 0.82 in COCORAHS Putnam 0.74 in CWOP ...Tazewell County... Washington 1.7 NE 0.90 in COCORAHS Morton 0.64 in COOP Morton 0.53 in COCORAHS ...Vermilion County... Georgetown 0.1 NNW 0.68 in COCORAHS Hoopeston 0.6 E 0.52 in COCORAHS Danville 4.2 NW 0.47 in COCORAHS 2.3 E Tilton 0.45 in COOP Fithian 0.6 NNW 0.40 in COCORAHS Danville 0.38 in COCORAHS Danville 3.1 NNW 0.36 in COCORAHS Danville Arpt 0.33 in AWOS Henning 3.4 SE 0.32 in COCORAHS Collison 1.9 SE 0.31 in COCORAHS Sidell 4N 0.30 in COOP ...Woodford County... Metamora 6.4 W 0.90 in COCORAHS Eureka 0.85 in CWOP East Peoria 6.9 NNE 0.80 in COCORAHS Germantown Hills 0.70 in CWOP Roanoke 0.69 in COOP El Paso 5.2 NNW 0.69 in COCORAHS El Paso 0.6 WNW 0.65 in COCORAHS Metamora 1.1 WNW 0.60 in COCORAHS Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.
Environment
Surface analysis from the afternoon of April 18 showed a 1008 mb low centered near St. Louis with a warm front extending northeastward to Terre Haute, Indiana. Temperatures were in the upper 60s and lower 70s north of the front across much of central Illinois, but warmed into the upper 70s to lower 80s to the south. With southerly winds bringing moisture northward from the Gulf of Mexico, dewpoints climbed into the middle 60s across southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois, which resulted in Surface Based Convective Available Potential Energy (SBCAPE) values of 1500-2000 J/kg.
The primary forecast question for the afternoon and evening was exactly how far north the warm front would lift before the low tracked across the area. NWS Lincoln conducted a special 21z (4pm) upper air balloon launch in order to better assess the evolving airmass (image linked below). Since Lincoln was just north of the main boundary during the balloon launch, the afternoon sounding revealed only meager instability with SBCAPEs of less than 500 J/kg. However, steep lapse rates and surface-3 km shear values of 40 kt raised concern for rotation within any storms that developed this far north. Note surface winds from the southeast at 15 kt veering to the southwest and increasing to 40 kt at 3 km aloft.
By 6pm, a line of severe thunderstorms had developed from south of Springfield southwestward into the Saint Louis area. Numerous reports of damaging wind gusts in excess of 60mph, hail larger than golf balls, and even tornadoes were received. Meanwhile further northwest, additional thunderstorm cells formed along an advancing cold front just east of the Illinois River.
One of the northwestern cells quickly became severe as it tracked near the triple point just north of the low pressure center. This particular cell produced 60-70 mph winds and numerous reports of wind damage from eastern Sangamon County northeastward into northern Macon and southern DeWitt counties. As boundary layer vorticity was enhanced in the vicinity of several notches along the leading edge of the storm, 3 tornado touchdowns occurred. At 7:20 PM CDT, an EF-0 tornado caused minor tree and structural damage in Latham in southeast Logan County. Shortly afterwards, an EF-1 tornado developed southeast of Latham and crossed into Macon County where it damaged several homes in Warrensburg. Another EF-1 tornado touched down at 7:37PM CDT 2 miles north of Forsyth in Macon County, then tracked eastward damaging trees, grain bins, and power poles before dissipating west of Argenta.
The tornado-producing thunderstorm weakened as it tracked further northeastward, producing minor wind damage near Champaign before dissipating further. Meanwhile the line of severe storms near Saint Louis swept eastward into the far southern portion of the NWS Lincoln County Warning Area (CWA), causing scattered wind damage south of I-70. The storms then exited into Indiana by mid-evening.
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| Apr 18 12Z (7 am) surface map | Apr 18 21Z (4 pm) surface map | Apr 19 00Z (7 pm Apr 18) surface map |
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| KILX Apr 18 21Z sounding | Apr 18 12Z Thunderstorm Outlook | Apr 18 12Z Tornado Outlook |
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