Illinois, 1974

Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, April 21, 1974

April 21, 1974 · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

3 tornado, 1 hail, 1 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
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
$503,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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

Hail, Hancock

When
April 21, 1:25 PM CST
Where
Hancock County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.230, -90.950

Tornado, Henry

When
April 21, 1:40 PM CST
Where
Henry County
Rating
F2
Path length
2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
41.370, -90.050

Tornado, Ogle

When
April 21, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Ogle County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
42.050, -89.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When
April 21, 3:43 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
39.850, -89.680

Tornado, Ogle

When
April 21, 3:55 PM CST
Where
Ogle County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.980, -89.580

What these are

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.
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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1974Every state in 1974This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1974

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: 10009070, 10009071, 10009072, 10009073, 10009074.