Illinois, 1988

Tornado and Damaging Winds in Illinois, September 19, 1988

September 19, 1988 · NWS CHI · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

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
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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

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

Tornado, Carroll

When
September 19, 12:40 PM CST
Where
Carroll County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
41.970, -89.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Winnebago

When
September 19, 3:32 PM CST
Where
Winnebago County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
42.200, -89.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Grundy

When
September 19, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Grundy County
Coordinates
41.280, -88.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Will

When
September 19, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Will County
Coordinates
41.530, -88.100

Thunderstorm Wind, McHenry

When
September 19, 4:30 PM CST
Where
McHenry County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
42.320, -88.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Kane

When
September 19, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Kane County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.920, -88.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake

When
September 19, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Lake County
Coordinates
42.370, -87.830

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1988Every state in 1988This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1988Warnings in Illinois, September 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: 10003775, 10003776, 10003777, 10003778, 10003779, 10003780, 10003781.