Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 1, NWS St. Louis, MO

February 19, 2026Marion County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this tornado warning at Feb 19, 2026, 5:12 PM CST for Marion County, Illinois. It was in force for 29 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 19, 2026, 5:12 PM CST (23:12 UTC)
Expired
Feb 19, 2026, 5:41 PM CST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.0 in

County Marion County, IL

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:13 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 nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 184 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 12:00Z on 2026-02-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 7 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2026-02-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 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
7 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-290 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
783 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
185 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

313 
WFUS53 KLSX 192312
TORLSX
ILC121-200000-
/O.NEW.KLSX.TO.W.0001.260219T2312Z-260220T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service St Louis MO
512 PM CST Thu Feb 19 2026

The National Weather Service in St Louis has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southeastern Marion County in south central Illinois...

* Until 600 PM CST.

* At 512 PM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located 14 miles south of Salem, or 12 miles southeast of
  Centralia, moving northeast at 30 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
           to roofs, windows and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is
           likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  Helm and Kell.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building
away from windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a
vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself
from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3847 8904 3865 8870 3848 8870 3848 8892
TIME...MOT...LOC 2312Z 240DEG 28KT 3842 8894

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

Pfahler
2 follow-up statements
112 
WWUS53 KLSX 192330
SVSLSX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service St Louis MO
530 PM CST Thu Feb 19 2026

ILC121-200000-
/O.CON.KLSX.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-260220T0000Z/
Marion IL-
530 PM CST Thu Feb 19 2026

...TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST FOR SOUTHEASTERN
MARION COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

At 530 PM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Helm, or 14 miles southeast of Salem, moving east at
30 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
         to roofs, windows and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is
         likely.

Locations impacted include...
  Helm.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building
away from windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a
vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself
from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3848 8891 3859 8870 3848 8870
TIME...MOT...LOC 2312Z 251DEG 25KT 3844 8893

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

Pfahler
946 
WWUS53 KLSX 192341
SVSLSX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service St Louis MO
541 PM CST Thu Feb 19 2026

ILC121-192351-
/O.CAN.KLSX.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-260220T0000Z/
Marion IL-
541 PM CST Thu Feb 19 2026

...TORNADO WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR SOUTHEASTERN MARION COUNTY IN
SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.
Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

&&

LAT...LON 3848 8891 3859 8870 3848 8870
TIME...MOT...LOC 2330Z 251DEG 25KT 3848 8877

$$

Pfahler

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 19, 4:23 AM CSTDense Fog AdvisoryLSXBond, Calhoun, Fayette, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin and 4 more5 hr
Feb 19, 5:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatLSXBond, Fayette45 min
Feb 19, 5:40 PM CSTTornado WarningLSXFayette40 min

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.