Illinois, 1988

Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 8, 1988

May 8, 1988 · 63 events in 46 counties and zones

45 thunderstorm wind, 12 tornado, 6 hail, 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
1
Injuries
7
Property damage
$1.6 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
63

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

45 thunderstorm wind, 12 tornado, 6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When
May 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Mercer County
Coordinates
41.250, -90.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Hancock

When
May 8, 2:40 PM CST
Where
Hancock County
Coordinates
40.400, -91.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock Island

When
May 8, 2:55 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Coordinates
41.450, -90.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Du Page

When
May 8, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Du Page County
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
41.750, -87.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 8, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Coordinates
41.750, -87.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When
May 8, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Adams County
Coordinates
39.820, -91.100

Thunderstorm Wind, McDonough

When
May 8, 3:00 PM CST
Where
McDonough County
Coordinates
40.400, -90.670

Thunderstorm Wind, McDonough

When
May 8, 3:00 PM CST
Where
McDonough County
Coordinates
40.550, -90.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 8, 3:12 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
41.780, -87.750

Tornado, Rock Island

When
May 8, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.750, -90.230

Tornado, Whiteside

When
May 8, 3:16 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.750, -90.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Henry

When
May 8, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Henry County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
41.180, -90.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
May 8, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Coordinates
39.730, -90.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Jo Daviess

When
May 8, 3:22 PM CST
Where
Jo Daviess County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
42.480, -90.630

Hail, Rock Island

When
May 8, 3:24 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
41.500, -90.520

Tornado, Ogle

When
May 8, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Ogle County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.980, -89.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Bureau

When
May 8, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Coordinates
41.370, -89.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Jo Daviess

When
May 8, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Jo Daviess County
Coordinates
42.250, -90.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Jo Daviess

When
May 8, 3:39 PM CST
Where
Jo Daviess County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
42.420, -90.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll

When
May 8, 3:39 PM CST
Where
Carroll County
Coordinates
41.970, -89.780

Tornado, Jackson

When
May 8, 3:40 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
13 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
37.880, -89.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When
May 8, 3:44 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Coordinates
40.020, -90.430

Hail, Pike

When
May 8, 3:45 PM CST
Where
Pike County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.780, -90.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Stephenson

When
May 8, 3:45 PM CST
Where
Stephenson County
Coordinates
42.380, -89.520

Hail, Morgan

When
May 8, 3:50 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.770, -90.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Mason

When
May 8, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Mason County
Coordinates
40.420, -89.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Stark

When
May 8, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Stark County
Coordinates
41.100, -89.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When
May 8, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Fulton County
Coordinates
40.570, -90.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When
May 8, 4:10 PM CST
Where
Calhoun County
Coordinates
39.230, -90.720

Tornado, Lee

When
May 8, 4:20 PM CST
Where
Lee County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
13 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.830, -89.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When
May 8, 4:20 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
40.670, -89.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Lee

When
May 8, 4:20 PM CST
Where
Lee County
Coordinates
41.870, -89.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When
May 8, 4:28 PM CST
Where
Fulton County
Coordinates
40.400, -90.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When
May 8, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Peoria County
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
40.730, -89.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When
May 8, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Greene County
Coordinates
39.430, -90.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Winnebago

When
May 8, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Winnebago County
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
42.200, -89.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Jersey

When
May 8, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Jersey County
Coordinates
39.030, -90.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
May 8, 4:41 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Coordinates
39.530, -90.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Menard

When
May 8, 4:42 PM CST
Where
Menard County
Coordinates
40.020, -89.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodford

When
May 8, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Woodford County
Coordinates
40.650, -89.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Boone

When
May 8, 4:55 PM CST
Where
Boone County
Coordinates
42.480, -88.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
May 8, 4:57 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Coordinates
39.580, -89.950

Tornado, Grundy

When
May 8, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Grundy County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.200, -88.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When
May 8, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Marshall County
Coordinates
41.000, -89.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When
May 8, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Madison County
Coordinates
38.820, -89.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Macoupin

When
May 8, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Macoupin County
Coordinates
39.070, -89.730

Thunderstorm Wind, La Salle

When
May 8, 5:15 PM CST
Where
La Salle County
Coordinates
41.150, -88.670

Tornado, Sangamon

When
May 8, 5:18 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.750, -89.530

Tornado, La Salle

When
May 8, 5:20 PM CST
Where
La Salle County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.330, -88.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Livingston

When
May 8, 5:27 PM CST
Where
Livingston County
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
40.870, -88.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When
May 8, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Macon County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.830, -88.870

Hail, St. Clair

When
May 8, 5:41 PM CST
Where
St. Clair County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.430, -89.900

Hail, Randolph

When
May 8, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Randolph County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.080, -90.100

Thunderstorm Wind, De Witt

When
May 8, 5:51 PM CST
Where
De Witt County
Coordinates
40.120, -88.750

Tornado, Will

When
May 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Will County
Rating
F1
Path length
7.5 mi
Path width
60 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.320, -88.150

Tornado, Will

When
May 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Will County
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
40 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.500, -88.150

Hail, Perry

When
May 8, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Perry County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.050, -89.480

Tornado, Will

When
May 8, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Will County
Rating
F1
Path length
10.5 mi
Path width
60 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.400, -88.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Randolph

When
May 8, 6:25 PM CST
Where
Randolph County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
38.120, -89.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 8, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Coordinates
41.930, -87.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When
May 8, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Washington County
Coordinates
38.220, -89.220

Tornado, Vermilion

When
May 8, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.120, -87.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Vermilion

When
May 8, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County
Coordinates
40.170, -87.620

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Thunderstorm Wind, Du Page1988-05-08Direct

What these are

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1988Every state in 1988This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1988Warnings in Illinois, May 1988

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: 10002623, 10002624, 10002625, 10002626, 10002627, 10002628, 10002629, 10002630, 10002631, 10002632, 10002633, 10002634, 10002635, 10002636, 10002637, 10002638, 10002639, 10002640, 10002641, 10002642, 10002643, 10002644, 10002645, 10002646, 10002647, 10002648, 10002649, 10002650, 10002651, 10002652, 10002653, 10002654, 10002655, 10002656, 10002657, 10002658, 10002659, 10002660, 10002661, 10002662, and more.