Illinois, 1970

Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 9, 1970

May 9, 1970 · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

6 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 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
$250,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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

6 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When
May 9, 1:05 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County
Measured
53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates
39.780, -89.680

Thunderstorm Wind, McHenry

When
May 9, 1:50 PM CST
Where
McHenry County
Coordinates
42.280, -88.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 9, 1:50 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Coordinates
42.080, -88.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock Island

When
May 9, 4:10 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
41.500, -90.500

Hail, Ogle

When
May 9, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Ogle County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.080, -89.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When
May 9, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Coordinates
40.000, -90.180

Tornado, Woodford

When
May 9, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Woodford County
Rating
F1
Path length
2.7 mi
Path width
200 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.620, -89.230

Hail,

When
May 9, 9:55 PM CST
Where
County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.080, -89.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Pulaski

When
May 9, 10:20 PM CST
Where
Pulaski County
Coordinates
37.280, -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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 1970Every state in 1970This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1970

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: 10010030, 10010031, 10010032, 10010033, 10010034, 10010035, 10010036, 10010037, 10010038.