Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Watches in 2026
Tornado Watch 340
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jun 17, 2026, 7:49 AM CDT for 46 counties in Illinois. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Jun 17, 2026, 7:49 AM CDT (12:49 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 17, 2026, 2:18 PM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 2.5 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 75 kt
All 46 counties
Adams County, IL, Brown County, IL, Bureau County, IL, Calhoun County, IL, Cass County, IL, Champaign County, IL, Christian County, IL, Clark County, IL, Coles County, IL, Cumberland County, IL, DeWitt County, IL, Douglas County, IL, Edgar County, IL, Ford County, IL, Fulton County, IL, Greene County, IL, Grundy County, IL, Hancock County, IL, Iroquois County, IL, Jersey County, IL, Knox County, IL, LaSalle County, IL, Livingston County, IL, Logan County, IL, Macon County, IL, Macoupin County, IL, Marshall County, IL, Mason County, IL, McDonough County, IL, McLean County, IL, Menard County, IL, Montgomery County, IL, Morgan County, IL, Moultrie County, IL, Peoria County, IL, Piatt County, IL, Pike County, IL, Putnam County, IL, Sangamon County, IL, Schuyler County, IL, Scott County, IL, Shelby County, IL, Stark County, IL, Tazewell County, IL, Vermilion County, IL, Woodford County, IL
The radar
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:52 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.
What SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 50%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 30%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 95%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 50%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 40%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 30%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 95%
Warnings issued inside it
13 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 7:57 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Mercer, Warren | 63 min |
| Jun 17, 8:14 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Fulton, Knox, Peoria, Stark | 61 min |
| Jun 17, 8:25 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Bureau, Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, Whiteside | 65 min |
| Jun 17, 8:43 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Hancock | 62 min |
| Jun 17, 8:54 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Warren | 66 min |
| Jun 17, 9:01 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Adams, Brown, Pike | 30 min |
| Jun 17, 9:03 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Fulton, Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, Woodford | 57 min |
| Jun 17, 9:08 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DVN | McDonough, Warren | 6 hr |
| Jun 17, 9:13 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Bureau, Putnam | 47 min |
| Jun 17, 9:45 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Logan, Mason, Menard, Sangamon | 60 min |
| Jun 17, 9:54 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | McLean, Woodford | 66 min |
| Jun 17, 10:02 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Livingston | 58 min |
| Jun 17, 10:09 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | DeWitt, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt | 66 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 111 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2139 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 138 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 239 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
343
WWUS20 KWNS 171247
SEL0
SPC WW 171247
ILZ000-MOZ000-172000-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 340
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
750 AM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of
Central and Northern Illinois
Far Northeast Missouri
* Effective this Wednesday morning and afternoon from 750 AM
until 300 PM CDT.
* Primary threats include...
A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible
Widespread damaging winds expected with isolated significant
gusts to 85 mph possible
Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5
inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY...An intense line of storms with history of significant wind
gusts across Iowa will continue to quickly progress
east-southeastward into and across central/northern Illinois early
today. This includes a significant potential for wind damage aside
from an increasing risk for tornadoes, as well as bouts of large
hail.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 70 statute miles
north and south of a line from 20 miles south southwest of
Burlington IA to 35 miles east of Champaign IL. For a complete
depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 339...
AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 2.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 75 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 600. Mean
storm motion vector 30045.
...GuyerSPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 3:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Carroll, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Mercer, Rock Island and 2 more | 7 hr |
| Jun 17, 5:42 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Carroll, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox, Mercer and 3 more | 2 hr |
| Jun 17, 8:16 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Brown, Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark and 37 more | 59 min |
| Jun 17, 10:43 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bond, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Coles, Crawford and 19 more | 2 hr |
| Jun 17, 1:03 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign, Christian and 24 more | 117 min |
| Jun 17, 2:14 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adams, Bond, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign and 45 more | 11 hr |
| Jun 17, 4:00 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adams, Bond, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign and 37 more | 60 min |
| Jun 17, 6:50 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Christian, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Montgomery and 2 more | 115 min |
| Jun 16, 11:28 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, O'Brien and 3 more | 2 hr |
| Jun 17, 2:36 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adair, Adams, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone and 74 more | 2 hr |
| Jun 17, 12:37 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Allamakee, Chickasaw, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell, Winneshiek and 1 more | 83 min |
| Jun 17, 1:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Allamakee, Chickasaw, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell, Winneshiek | 4 hr |
| Jun 17, 4:45 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette and 2 more | 2 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2026Every tornado watch 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.