Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 180, NWS Lincoln, IL

April 27, 20265 counties in Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 27, 2026, 9:25 PM CDT for 5 counties in Illinois. It was in force for 50 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 27, 2026, 9:25 PM CDT (02:25 UTC)
Expired
Apr 27, 2026, 10:15 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Damage threat
Considerable
Hail
0.75 in
Wind
70.0 mph

Counties Clay County, IL, Crawford County, IL, Jasper County, IL, Lawrence County, IL, Richland County, IL

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:29 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 27, 4:41 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 153 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2026-04-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2026-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1082 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
76 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 27, 8:58 PM CDT, 27 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • There is a level 3 of 5 (enhanced) risk for severe weather this evening. Damaging winds, large hail, a couple tornadoes, and flash flooding are all concerns, especially near and south of I-70.
  • There is a 30-50% chance for frost Friday night. Tender vegetation may need to be covered in order to prevent damage.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 27, 8:58 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
858 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- There is a level 3 of 5 (enhanced) risk for severe weather this
  evening. Damaging winds, large hail, a couple tornadoes, and
  flash flooding are all concerns, especially near and south of
  I-70.

- There is a 30-50% chance for frost Friday night. Tender
  vegetation may need to be covered in order to prevent damage.

&&

.UPDATE...
Issued at 858 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

We extended the tornado watch another 2 hours until 11 pm cdt in
east central and southeast IL. We also extended the Flood Watch
another hour until 11 pm cdt from Christian, Macon, Moultrie,
Douglas and Edgar counties south.

The squall line with strong to severe thundertorms (including
possible tornadoes) was near or southeast of a Danville to
Effingham line, and west of Mount Vernon, racing eastward at
50-60 mph. The HRRR has been handling this convection fairly
well and has the squall line passing southeast of Lawrence
county IL by 04Z/11 pm. Will still be risk of severe storms with
damaging winds, large hail and possible tornadoes with this line
next 1-2 hours. Also rainfall amounts of 1-2 inches in 2-3
hours with locally 2-3 inches possible in southeast IL which
already seen 1.5-3 inches of rain so far today. The cold front
was pushing east toward the IL river at mid evening and will
push through se IL between 1-3 am overnight. Most of the
convection should be east/se of CWA after 1 am tonight with
quieter weather returning. Lows overnight to range from upper
40s over the IL river valley from I-55 west (mid 40s by
Galesburg) and 55-60F in southeast IL.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 226 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

***** SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING *****

Mid level water vapor satellite reveals a negatively tilted upper
level trough spinning over the Midwest. At the surface, WPC has
analyzed a 996mb low in eastern Iowa which is forecast to lift
northeastward across Wisconsin this evening. Much of the warm sector
has been worked over at this point via a morning-early afternoon
MCS, but these storms left an outflow boundary near/south of the I-
70 corridor which will serve as a differential heating/convergence
zone for renewed storms later this afternoon. A wake low continues
to foster wind gusts up to 35mph from the southeast, which should
help maintain stable low levels further north. Nonetheless, a few
elevated storms could generate locally severe hail and wind in
those areas. Meanwhile, south of the I-70 corridor, dewpoints
should surge into the mid-upper 60s while a 50 kt LLJ maintains
40-55 kt effective bulk wind shear and 400-700 (679 on the VWX
vad profiler) m^2/s^2 0-3km SRH via strongly cyclonically
curved hodographs. CAMs generally suggest convective activity
developing upstream over the next couple hours and moving
through this environment during the evening will start discrete
and eventually grow upscale into another MCS. Hence, the initial
hazards will be very large hail and tornadoes, with the risk
transitioning to damaging winds, locally severe hail, and QLCS
tornadoes with time. Training storms will pose a risk for flash
flooding (REFS and HREF ensemble max precip have swaths of 4+
inches of rain falling in <6 hours), for which we have issued a
Flood Watch which extends through 10pm. A Tornado Watch is in
effect for Effingham to Crawford Counties and areas further
south, where the chance of surface based (and hence potentially
tornadic) storms is highest. Storms should exit the ILX County
Warning area by 11pm, while a cooler and more stable airmass
arrives from the west-northwest behind a cold front.

***** DRY CONDITIONS LIKELY WEDNESDAY AND BEYOND  *****

Another shortwave will lift northeast through the area tomorrow
night, bringing another opportunity for some rain and perhaps a
rumble of thunder. Thankfully QPF with this system is lighter, with
a low (<20%) chance for an additional inch of rainfall. Since this
will occur around 24 hours after this evening's heavy rainfall in
southeast Illinois, the ground may have some time to absorb the
water, though we'll still be keeping one eye on it.

By Wednesday morning, a drier pattern should take hold of the
region, with less than a 20% chance for rain through the weekend.
High temperatures each day are forecast in the 60s, with locations
near and north of the I-74 corridor potentially (60% chance) not
climbing out of the 50s on Friday. The National Blend of Models
(NBM) indicates a 30-50% chance temperatures fall below 37 degF
Friday night into Saturday morning, which should be cold enough for
frost given the expected light winds.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/...
Issued at 640 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

A squall line consisting of strong to severe thunderstorms was
along I-55 at 640 pm with a severe cell ahead of this line
between DEC and CMI and racing eastward at 50-60 mph.
Convection was also over PIA which was on the back side of this
complex. We have gradient SE winds 25-35 kts with gusts 40-50
kts ahead of this squall line especially at DEC and CMI. A
severe storm would produce wind gusts over 50 kts possible at
DEC and CMI next hour. IFR to MVF conditions expected with this
strong to severe convection as HRRR has it tracking east of DEC
and CMI between 01-02Z at mid evening. May see a brief period
of VFR conditions late evening/early overnight before MVFR
ceilings likely spread into central IL during overnight and
linger into Tue morning. the MVFR ceilings could scatter out at
PIA and possibly as far se as I-55 at BMI and SPI during Tue
afternoon. Breezy south to SE winds gusting 25-35 kts to weaken
and shift west to WNW behind cold frontal passage overnight.

&&

.ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Flood Watch until 11 PM CDT this evening for ILZ052>057-
061>063-066>068-071>073.

&&

KEY MESSAGES...Bumgardner
UPDATE...07
DISCUSSION...Bumgardner
AVIATION...07
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 27, 2:32 PM CDT, 6 hours 53 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
232 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

ILZ027>031-036>038-040-041-281945-
Knox-Stark-Peoria-Marshall-Woodford-Fulton-Tazewell-McLean-Schuyler-
Mason-
232 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Illinois and west
central Illinois.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Thunderstorm redevelopment continues to be possible this afternoon
and moving east through mid evening. The storms will be capable of
producing damaging winds, hail, and a few tornadoes. In addition,
heavy rainfall may produce areas of flooding.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

Minor flooding will persist on the Illinois River from Havana to
Beardstown through the week, with some renewed rises around midweek.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed.

Expected storm motion is toward the east-northeast around 50 mph.

ILZ042>057-061>063-281945-
Logan-De Witt-Piatt-Champaign-Vermilion-Cass-Menard-Scott-Morgan-
Sangamon-Christian-Macon-Moultrie-Douglas-Coles-Edgar-Shelby-
Cumberland-Clark-
232 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Illinois, east
central Illinois and west central Illinois.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Thunderstorm redevelopment is possible this afternoon with storms
moving out of east central Illinois by late evening. The storms will
be capable of producing damaging winds, hail, and a few tornadoes.
In addition, heavy rainfall may produce areas of flooding.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

A few thunderstorms are expected Tuesday night, but severe weather
is not likely.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed.

Expected storm motion is toward the east-northeast around 50 mph.

ILZ066>068-071>073-281945-
Effingham-Jasper-Crawford-Clay-Richland-Lawrence-
232 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southeast Illinois.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Periods of thunderstorms are expected through the evening hours.
Some of these will be severe. Damaging winds and tornadoes are the
main concerns. In addition, heavy rainfall may produce areas of
flooding.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected Tuesday night, but severe
weather is not likely.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will likely be needed.

Expected storm motion is toward the east-northeast around 50 mph.

Knutsvig

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 27, 9:06 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 27, 9:07 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 27, 9:12 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
912 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

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

0644 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     2 WNW De Land           40.13N 88.69W
04/27/2026                   Piatt              IL   Fire Dept/Rescue

            Corrects previous flash flood report from 2
            WNW De Land. Deland-Weldon school sustained
            roof damage.

&&

JLA
Local storm report, Apr 27, 9:18 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
918 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

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

0900 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Louisville              38.77N 88.50W
04/27/2026                   Clay               IL   Emergency Mngr

            Tree on apartments. Injuries unknown.

&&

JLA
Local storm report, Apr 27, 9:20 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
920 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

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

0900 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Xenia                   38.64N 88.64W
04/27/2026                   Clay               IL   Emergency Mngr

            Tree over the road.

&&

JLA
Local storm report, Apr 27, 9:24 PM CDT, 1 minute before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
924 PM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026

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

0900 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Xenia                   38.64N 88.64W
04/27/2026                   Clay               IL   Emergency Mngr

            Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from
            Xenia. Limb over the road.

&&

JLA

The office that day

Everything else NWS Lincoln, IL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 27, 7:04 PM CDTTornado WarningILXChampaign26 min
Apr 27, 7:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatILXChristian, Shelby33 min
Apr 27, 7:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatILXVermilion36 min
Apr 27, 7:28 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryILXChampaign, Coles, Douglas, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt and 2 more3 hr
Apr 27, 7:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatILXColes, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Moultrie and 1 more67 min
Apr 27, 7:51 PM CDTTornado WarningILXCumberland, Effingham, Shelby39 min
Apr 27, 7:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXVermilion17 min
Apr 27, 8:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXClark, Clay, Coles, Cumberland, Effingham, Jasper40 min
Apr 27, 8:18 PM CDTTornado WarningILXClark, Crawford, Cumberland, Effingham, Jasper42 min
Apr 27, 8:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXClark, Coles, Crawford, Edgar, Jasper59 min
Apr 27, 8:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatILXClay, Effingham, Jasper, Richland58 min
Apr 27, 8:50 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryILXColes, Douglas, Edgar, Vermilion3 hr
Apr 27, 8:54 PM CDTTornado WarningILXClay, Richland35 min
Apr 27, 8:57 PM CDTTornado WarningILXClark, Crawford19 min
Apr 27, 9:28 PM CDTTornado WarningILXLawrence, Richland28 min
Apr 27, 9:33 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXCrawford, Jasper3 hr
Apr 27, 9:46 PM CDTTornado WarningILXLawrence14 min
Apr 27, 9:48 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningILXLawrence7 days

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.