Illinois, 1981

Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, April 13, 1981

April 13, 1981 · NWS NG · 47 events in 25 counties and zones

21 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 9 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
47

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

21 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 9 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Champaign

When
April 13, 11:50 AM CST
Where
Champaign County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.030, -88.030

Hail, Rock Island

When
April 13, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.330, -90.850

Hail, Mercer

When
April 13, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Mercer County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.320, -90.450

Hail, Hancock

When
April 13, 2:31 PM CST
Where
Hancock County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.550, -91.380

Hail, Henry

When
April 13, 2:35 PM CST
Where
Henry County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
41.350, -90.380

Hail, Whiteside

When
April 13, 3:05 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
41.730, -90.030

Hail, Bureau

When
April 13, 3:49 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
41.350, -89.730

Hail, Bureau

When
April 13, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
41.370, -89.470

Hail, Fulton

When
April 13, 4:20 PM CST
Where
Fulton County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
40.400, -90.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
April 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Coordinates
39.730, -90.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Putnam

When
April 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Putnam County
Coordinates
41.180, -89.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When
April 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Marshall County
Coordinates
41.030, -89.300

Tornado, Fulton

When
April 13, 4:35 PM CST
Where
Fulton County
Rating
F1
Path length
6.8 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.400, -90.150

Tornado, Mason

When
April 13, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Mason County
Rating
F1
Path length
25.6 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.320, -90.070

Hail, Mercer

When
April 13, 5:12 PM CST
Where
Mercer County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.170, -90.750

Tornado, Logan

When
April 13, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Logan County
Rating
F1
Path length
13.7 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.270, -89.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Mason

When
April 13, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Mason County
Coordinates
40.300, -89.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Mason

When
April 13, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Mason County
Coordinates
40.200, -89.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Mason

When
April 13, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Mason County
Coordinates
40.300, -89.970

Hail, Mercer

When
April 13, 6:13 PM CST
Where
Mercer County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.200, -90.750

Hail, Mercer

When
April 13, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Mercer County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.200, -90.450

Hail, Kankakee

When
April 13, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Kankakee County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.230, -87.650

Hail, Bureau

When
April 13, 7:35 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
41.180, -89.680

Hail, Morgan

When
April 13, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.580, -89.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
April 13, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
39.580, -89.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
April 13, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Coordinates
41.670, -87.630

Hail, Marshall

When
April 13, 7:51 PM CST
Where
Marshall County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.120, -89.370

Tornado, Putnam

When
April 13, 8:07 PM CST
Where
Putnam County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.180, -89.400

Tornado, McLean

When
April 13, 8:30 PM CST
Where
McLean County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
40.620, -88.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When
April 13, 8:56 PM CST
Where
Marshall County
Coordinates
41.120, -89.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When
April 13, 9:40 PM CST
Where
Warren County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
40.920, -90.630

Hail, Menard

When
April 13, 9:49 PM CST
Where
Menard County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.080, -89.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When
April 13, 9:50 PM CST
Where
Knox County
Coordinates
39.980, -89.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
April 13, 9:50 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Coordinates
40.820, -90.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When
April 13, 10:10 PM CST
Where
Monroe County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
38.330, -90.150

Tornado, McLean

When
April 13, 10:35 PM CST
Where
McLean County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
40.550, -89.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Menard

When
April 13, 10:54 PM CST
Where
Menard County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
40.020, -89.680

Tornado, Woodford

When
April 13, 11:10 PM CST
Where
Woodford County
Rating
F1
Path length
8.3 mi
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.600, -89.280

Tornado, McLean

When
April 13, 11:15 PM CST
Where
McLean County
Rating
F1
Path length
26.2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.600, -89.120

Tornado, McLean

When
April 13, 11:20 PM CST
Where
McLean County
Rating
F1
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.480, -88.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When
April 13, 11:32 PM CST
Where
Macon County
Coordinates
39.930, -88.870

Thunderstorm Wind, McLean

When
April 13, 11:35 PM CST
Where
McLean County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
40.330, -88.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Piatt

When
April 13, 11:40 PM CST
Where
Piatt County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.880, -88.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodford

When
April 13, 11:50 PM CST
Where
Woodford County
Coordinates
40.630, -89.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Champaign

When
April 13, 11:50 PM CST
Where
Champaign County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
40.030, -88.280

Thunderstorm Wind, De Witt

When
April 13, 11:58 PM CST
Where
De Witt County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
40.250, -88.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Champaign

When
April 13, 11:58 PM CST
Where
Champaign County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.920, -88.270

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 1981Every state in 1981This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1981

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: 10006407, 10006408, 10006409, 10006410, 10006411, 10006412, 10006413, 10006414, 10006415, 10006416, 10006417, 10006418, 10006419, 10006420, 10006421, 10006422, 10006423, 10006424, 10006425, 10006426, 10006427, 10006428, 10006429, 10006430, 10006431, 10006432, 10006433, 10006434, 10006435, 10006436, 10006437, 10006438, 10006439, 10006440, 10006441, 10006442, 10006443, 10006444, 10006445, 10006446, and more.