Tornado and Hail in Illinois, September 28, 1972

Name: Tornado and Hail in Illinois, September 28, 1972
Start: 1972-09-28T16:40
End: 1972-09-28T21:30
Location: Illinois

September 28, 1972 · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

5 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail, 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: 0
Injuries: 20
Property damage: $2.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Stephenson

When: September 28, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Stephenson County
Coordinates: 42.500, -89.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake

When: September 28, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Lake County
Coordinates: 42.380, -87.900

Tornado, Lake

When: September 28, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Lake County
Rating: F4
Path length: 5.2 mi
Path width: 220 yd
Injuries: 20 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 42.280, -87.870

Hail, Cook

When: September 28, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Cook County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.080, -87.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake

When: September 28, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Lake County
Measured: 75 kt (86 mph)
Coordinates: 42.500, -88.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When: September 28, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Peoria County
Coordinates: 40.700, -89.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When: September 28, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Sangamon County
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates: 39.780, -89.680

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 1972 Every state in 1972 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1972

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: 10006807, 10006808, 10006809, 10006810, 10006811, 10006812, 10006813.