Illinois, 1968

Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 15, 1968

May 15, 1968 · 13 events in 11 counties and zones

5 hail, 5 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 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
8
Injuries
135
Property damage
$10 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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

5 hail, 5 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Adams

When
May 15, 7:45 AM CST
Where
Adams County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
39.880, -91.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When
May 15, 10:20 AM CST
Where
Cass County
Coordinates
39.880, -90.000

Hail, Cook

When
May 15, 11:45 AM CST
Where
Cook County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.700, -87.900

Tornado, Mason

When
May 15, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Mason County
Rating
F3
Path length
12.6 mi
Path width
600 yd
Injuries
25 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.230, -89.830

Hail, Rock Island

When
May 15, 2:40 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.580, -91.000

Tornado, Logan

When
May 15, 3:09 PM CST
Where
Logan County
Rating
F3
Path width
600 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.280, -89.600

Tornado, De Witt

When
May 15, 4:00 PM CST
Where
De Witt County
Rating
F1
Path length
25.4 mi
Path width
1,000 yd
Deaths
4 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
50 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.230, -89.130

Hail, Logan

When
May 15, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Logan County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.280, -89.180

Tornado, Iroquois

When
May 15, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Iroquois County
Rating
F3
Path length
7.1 mi
Path width
400 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.620, -87.700

Hail, Tazewell

When
May 15, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.580, -89.400

Tornado, St. Clair

When
May 15, 8:45 PM CST
Where
St. Clair County
Rating
F3
Path length
2 mi
Path width
200 yd
Deaths
4 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
60 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
38.400, -89.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Kendall

When
May 15, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Kendall County
Coordinates
41.580, -88.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Kendall

When
May 15, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Kendall County
Coordinates
41.580, -88.400

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 1968Every state in 1968This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1968

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: 10011160, 10011161, 10011162, 10007539, 10007540, 10007752, 10007753, 10007754, 10007755, 10007756, 10007757, 10007758, 10007759.