Illinois, 1971

Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 27, 1971

April 27, 1971 · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
20
Property damage
$2.5 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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

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

Hail, Monroe

When
April 27, 1:48 PM CST
Where
Monroe County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
38.280, -90.180

Hail,

When
April 27, 2:45 PM CST
Where
County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.880, -89.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
April 27, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Coordinates
37.700, -89.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
April 27, 3:25 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
37.700, -89.180

Hail, Jackson

When
April 27, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
37.700, -89.180

Tornado, Franklin

When
April 27, 3:43 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Rating
F3
Path length
4.5 mi
Path width
200 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
20 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
37.900, -89.800

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Franklin1971-04-27Direct

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 1971Every state in 1971This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1971

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: 10011195, 10011196, 10011197, 10011198, 10011199, 10011200.