Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2026
Tornado Warning 12, NWS Chicago, IL
NWS Chicago, IL issued this tornado warning at Apr 14, 2026, 8:20 PM CDT for Winnebago County, Illinois. It was in force for 25 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 14, 2026, 8:20 PM CDT (01:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 14, 2026, 8:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 25 min
- Issued by
- NWS Chicago, IL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Tornado
- Radar indicated
- Hail
- 0.0 in
County Winnebago County, IL
The radar
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:19 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2:33 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 9 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 136 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1575 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -39 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1493 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 58 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 251 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 371 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.9
- Supercell composite
- 19.9
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 14, 6:36 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 14, 6:36 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 14, 4:04 PM CDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville IL
404 PM CDT Tue Apr 14 2026
ILZ003>006-008-010>013-019>021-023-032-033-039-103>108-INZ001-002-
010-011-019-152115-
Winnebago-Boone-McHenry-Lake IL-Ogle-Lee-De Kalb-Kane-DuPage-
La Salle-Kendall-Grundy-Kankakee-Livingston-Iroquois-Ford-
Northern Cook-Central Cook-Southern Cook-Northern Will-
Southern Will-Eastern Will-Lake IN-Porter-Newton-Jasper-Benton-
404 PM CDT Tue Apr 14 2026 /504 PM EDT Tue Apr 14 2026/
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central
Illinois...northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.
.DAY ONE...Tonight.
Weather hazards expected...
Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
Level 3 of 5 Tornado Risk.
Level 3 of 5 Large Hail Risk...up to Tennis Ball size.
Level 3 of 5 Damaging Wind Risk...up to 75 mph.
Level 2 of 4 Flash Flood Risk.
DISCUSSION...
An all hazardous significant severe weather threat exists across
northern IL this evening, particularly along and north of I-88.
Multiple rounds of heavy rain producing storms moving over the
same areas may also result in areas of flash flooding tonight.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.
Wednesday...
Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
Level 2 of 5 Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
Level 2 of 4 Flash Flood Risk.
Thursday...
Limited Thunderstorm Risk southeast of Interstate-55.
Friday Night into Saturday morning...
Limited Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
Level 2 of 5 Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
Level 1 of 4 Flash Flood Risk.
Sunday Night...
Significant Frost Risk.
DISCUSSION...
Additional waves of storms are expected at times through the end
of the week, some of which could be severe and produce heavy rain
and localized flash flooding.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Spotters will likely be needed this evening.
GENERAL STORM MOTION OF THE DAY:
Moving toward the east northeast at 45 mph.
LMZ740>745-152115-
Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL-
Wilmette Harbor to Northerly Island IL-
Northerly Island to Calumet Harbor IL-
Calumet Harbor IL to Gary IN-Gary to Burns Harbor IN-
Burns Harbor to Michigan City IN-
404 PM CDT Tue Apr 14 2026
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Illinois
nearshore waters of Lake Michigan and the Indiana nearshore
waters of Lake Michigan.
.DAY ONE...Tonight.
Weather hazards expected...
Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
Level 3 of 5 Thunderstorm Wind Gust Risk...up to 55 kt.
Level 3 of 5 Hail Risk...up to Tennis Ball size.
Level 3 of 5 Thunderstorm Waterspout Risk.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.
Wednesday...
Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
Level 2 of 5 Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
Friday and Saturday...
Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Sunday...
Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
KJB
Visit us at www.weather.gov/chicagoThe office that day
Everything else NWS Chicago, IL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 7:11 PM CDT | Flood Watch | LOT | Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane and 10 more | 30 hr |
| Apr 14, 7:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Ogle, Winnebago | 61 min |
| Apr 14, 8:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Boone, McHenry | 78 min |
| Apr 14, 8:29 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LOT | 2 hr | |
| Apr 14, 8:37 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LOT | Boone, Winnebago | 3 hr |
| Apr 14, 8:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Lake | 57 min |
| Apr 14, 8:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Winnebago | 48 min |
| Apr 14, 9:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | DeKalb, Kane | 44 min |
| Apr 14, 9:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry | 62 min |
| Apr 14, 9:33 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LOT | 117 min | |
| Apr 14, 9:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | DeKalb | 18 min |
| Apr 14, 9:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Kane | 37 min |
| Apr 14, 10:19 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | LOT | Cook, DuPage | 5 hr |
| Apr 14, 10:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Cook, DuPage | 48 min |
| Apr 14, 10:33 PM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Lake | 6 hr |
| Apr 14, 10:37 PM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Bureau, LaSalle, Putnam | 21 days |
| Apr 14, 10:51 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LOT | Cook, DuPage | 3 hr |
| Apr 14, 11:28 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LOT | 2 hr | |
| Apr 15, 12:24 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Cook | 21 days |
| Apr 15, 12:24 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Cook, Lake | 21 days |
| Apr 15, 12:24 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Lake | 6 hr |
| Apr 15, 2:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Boone, McHenry | 42 min |
| Apr 15, 3:51 AM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | LOT | Lake | 3 hr |
| Apr 15, 4:22 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LOT | Lake | 11 days |
| Apr 15, 6:19 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LOT | Lake | 10 days |
| Apr 15, 10:32 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Cook | 26 hr |
| Apr 15, 10:32 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Cook | 12 hr |
| Apr 15, 10:32 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LOT | Cook | 10 days |
| Apr 15, 10:32 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LOT | Cook, Lake | 10 days |
| Apr 15, 10:43 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | LaSalle | 11 hr |
| Apr 15, 10:43 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | LOT | Kane, Kendall | 11 hr |
| Apr 15, 11:42 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Winnebago | 20 hr |
| Apr 15, 11:42 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Winnebago | 23 hr |
| Apr 15, 11:42 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Ogle, Winnebago | 24 hr |
| Apr 15, 11:52 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Winnebago | 24 hr |
| Apr 15, 11:52 AM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Boone, Winnebago | 20 hr |
| Apr 15, 5:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LOT | Ogle | 26 min |
| Apr 14, 10:35 PM CDT | River Flood Watch | LOT | Lake, Newton | 4 days |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 2026Every tornado warning in 2026Tornadoes 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.