Tornado and Damaging Winds in Illinois, December 10, 1971

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Illinois, December 10, 1971
Start: 1971-12-10T05:00
End: 1971-12-10T08:15
Location: Illinois

December 10, 1971 · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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

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

Tornado, Champaign

When: December 10, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Champaign County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.080, -88.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Alexander

When: December 10, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Alexander County
Coordinates: 37.280, -89.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: December 10, 8:15 AM CST
Where: Jackson County
Coordinates: 37.780, -89.280

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 1971 Every state in 1971 This day in weather history The 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: 10010108, 10010109, 10010110.