Illinois, 1961

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, September 30, 1961

September 30, 1961 · 8 events in 7 counties and zones

4 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$78,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
September 30, 11:30 AM CST
Where
Morgan County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
39.780, -90.280

Tornado, La Salle

When
September 30, 12:30 PM CST
Where
La Salle County
Rating
F1
Path length
2.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.620, -88.820

Tornado, Du Page

When
September 30, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Du Page County
Rating
F1
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.800, -88.200

Tornado, Christian

When
September 30, 1:45 PM CST
Where
Christian County
Rating
F1
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.370, -89.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When
September 30, 1:46 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.500, -89.680

Tornado, Livingston

When
September 30, 1:55 PM CST
Where
Livingston County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
40.900, -88.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Christian

When
September 30, 2:10 PM CST
Where
Christian County
Coordinates
39.500, -89.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When
September 30, 2:33 PM CST
Where
Macon County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
39.780, -89.000

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1961Every state in 1961This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1961

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10008775, 10008776, 10008777, 10008778, 10008779, 10008780, 10008781, 10008782.