Illinois, 1985

Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 14, 1985

May 14, 1985 · NWS NG · 23 events in 17 counties and zones

14 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
14
Property damage
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
23

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

14 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Adams

When
May 14, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Adams County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.000, -91.250

Hail, Cass

When
May 14, 3:05 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.020, -90.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When
May 14, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Adams County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
39.950, -91.200

Hail, Hancock

When
May 14, 3:35 PM CST
Where
Hancock County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.420, -91.130

Hail, Cass

When
May 14, 3:55 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.020, -90.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Moultrie

When
May 14, 4:10 PM CST
Where
Moultrie County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.720, -88.800

Hail, Brown

When
May 14, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Brown County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.980, -90.770

Hail, De Witt

When
May 14, 4:40 PM CST
Where
De Witt County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.150, -88.950

Thunderstorm Wind, McLean

When
May 14, 5:05 PM CST
Where
McLean County
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates
40.480, -88.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Edgar

When
May 14, 5:05 PM CST
Where
Edgar County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
39.620, -87.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When
May 14, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Knox County
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates
40.930, -90.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodford

When
May 14, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Woodford County
Coordinates
40.900, -89.030

Hail, Jackson

When
May 14, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
37.820, -89.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When
May 14, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Knox County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
40.930, -90.430

Thunderstorm Wind, La Salle

When
May 14, 5:50 PM CST
Where
La Salle County
Coordinates
41.120, -88.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Jo Daviess

When
May 14, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Jo Daviess County
Coordinates
42.250, -90.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When
May 14, 6:05 PM CST
Where
Marshall County
Measured
87 kt (100 mph)
Coordinates
41.050, -88.920

Thunderstorm Wind, La Salle

When
May 14, 6:15 PM CST
Where
La Salle County
Coordinates
41.330, -88.970

Hail, La Salle

When
May 14, 6:30 PM CST
Where
La Salle County
Measured
2 in hail
Injuries
14 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
41.550, -89.120

Thunderstorm Wind, La Salle

When
May 14, 6:30 PM CST
Where
La Salle County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.550, -89.120

Tornado, Lee

When
May 14, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Lee County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
17 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
41.700, -89.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Winnebago

When
May 14, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Winnebago County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
42.270, -89.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 14, 8:03 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Coordinates
41.580, -87.780

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 1985Every state in 1985This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1985

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: 10006656, 10006657, 10006658, 10006659, 10006660, 10006661, 10006662, 10006663, 10006664, 10006665, 10006666, 10006667, 10006668, 10006669, 10006670, 10006671, 10006672, 10006673, 10006674, 10006675, 10006676, 10006677, 10006678.