Illinois, 1978

Tornado and Hail in Illinois, July 26, 1978

July 26, 1978 · NWS NG · 16 events in 14 counties and zones

9 hail, 6 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
16

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

9 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Carroll

When
July 26, 9:40 AM CST
Where
Carroll County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
42.100, -89.830

Hail, Boone

When
July 26, 10:35 AM CST
Where
Boone County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
42.400, -88.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Whiteside

When
July 26, 10:50 AM CST
Where
Whiteside County
Coordinates
41.880, -89.700

Hail, Bureau

When
July 26, 12:38 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.430, -89.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Will

When
July 26, 12:56 PM CST
Where
Will County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.530, -88.100

Hail, Putnam

When
July 26, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Putnam County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.250, -89.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
July 26, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates
41.600, -87.700

Hail, Tazewell

When
July 26, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.470, -89.420

Hail, Woodford

When
July 26, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Woodford County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
40.780, -89.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When
July 26, 2:50 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.980, -90.400

Hail, Tazewell

When
July 26, 2:55 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
40.530, -89.350

Hail, Marion

When
July 26, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Marion County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.020, -89.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
July 26, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Coordinates
39.730, -90.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When
July 26, 3:25 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
39.850, -89.680

Tornado, Sangamon

When
July 26, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County
Path length
8.9 mi
Path width
177 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.800, -89.780

Hail, Vermilion

When
July 26, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.070, -87.700

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 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1978

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: 10004656, 10004657, 10004658, 10004659, 10004660, 10004661, 10004662, 10004663, 10004664, 10004665, 10004666, 10004667, 10004668, 10004669, 10004670, 10004671.