Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, March 20, 1976

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, March 20, 1976
Start: 1976-03-20T11:45
End: 1976-03-20T15:30
Location: Illinois

March 20, 1976 · 25 events in 17 counties and zones

12 tornado, 11 hail, 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 22
Property damage: $11 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 25

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

12 tornado, 11 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Madison

When: March 20, 11:45 AM CST
Where: Madison County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.900, -90.170

Hail, St. Clair

When: March 20, 12:00 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 38.520, -89.980

Tornado, Montgomery

When: March 20, 12:05 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Rating: F3
Path length: 8.8 mi
Path width: 27 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 39.420, -89.670

Tornado, Christian

When: March 20, 12:12 PM CST
Where: Christian County
Rating: F3
Path width: 27 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 39.470, -89.530

Hail, Monroe

When: March 20, 12:20 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.230, -90.170

Tornado, St. Clair

When: March 20, 12:25 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Rating: F2
Path length: 8.7 mi
Path width: 250 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.320, -89.830

Hail, Monroe

When: March 20, 12:25 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.300, -90.000

Hail, McLean

When: March 20, 12:26 PM CST
Where: McLean County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.620, -88.820

Hail, Montgomery

When: March 20, 12:32 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.180, -89.650

Tornado, Washington

When: March 20, 12:35 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Rating: F2
Path length: 29 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.370, -89.680

Tornado, Marion

When: March 20, 12:45 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1.3 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.480, -89.170

Hail, Washington

When: March 20, 12:45 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 38.430, -89.550

Hail, Washington

When: March 20, 12:55 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.450, -89.430

Hail, Washington

When: March 20, 1:10 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.380, -89.650

Tornado, Macon

When: March 20, 1:15 PM CST
Where: Macon County
Rating: F4
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 39.800, -88.800

Tornado, Piatt

When: March 20, 1:20 PM CST
Where: Piatt County
Rating: F4
Path length: 17.2 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 39.820, -88.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Will

When: March 20, 1:26 PM CST
Where: Will County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 41.500, -87.850

Tornado, Champaign

When: March 20, 1:35 PM CST
Where: Champaign County
Rating: F4
Path length: 29.7 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Injuries: 11 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 39.920, -88.450

Hail, St. Clair

When: March 20, 1:45 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.520, -89.980

Tornado, Vermilion

When: March 20, 2:25 PM CST
Where: Vermilion County
Rating: F4
Path length: 14.9 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 40.120, -87.950

Tornado, Jasper

When: March 20, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Jasper County
Rating: F0
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.870, -88.130

Hail, Randolph

When: March 20, 2:55 PM CST
Where: Randolph County
Measured: 4 in hail
Coordinates: 37.900, -89.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When: March 20, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Jasper County
Coordinates: 39.070, -87.980

Tornado, Crawford

When: March 20, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Crawford County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2.5 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.170, -87.680

Tornado, Clark

When: March 20, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Clark County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.180, -87.650

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

Every storm in Illinois in 1976 Every state in 1976 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1976

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: 10006927, 10006928, 10006929, 10006930, 10006931, 10006932, 10006933, 10006934, 10006935, 10006936, 10006937, 10006938, 10006939, 10006940, 10006941, 10006942, 10006943, 10006944, 10006945, 10006946, 10006947, 10006948, 10006949, 10006950, 10006951.