Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, January 7, 1989

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, January 7, 1989
Start: 1989-01-07T15:25
End: 1989-01-07T17:37
Location: Illinois

January 7, 1989 · NWS CHI · 15 events in 9 counties and zones

8 tornado, 4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 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: 56
Property damage: $38 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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

8 tornado, 4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Jackson

When: January 7, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.730, -89.430

Hail, Jackson

When: January 7, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.720, -89.220

Hail, Franklin

When: January 7, 4:22 PM CST
Where: Franklin County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.970, -89.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Williamson

When: January 7, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Williamson County
Coordinates: 37.720, -88.870

Tornado, Franklin

When: January 7, 4:32 PM CST
Where: Franklin County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 38.020, -88.800

Tornado, Hamilton

When: January 7, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.220, -88.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When: January 7, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Coordinates: 38.100, -88.530

Tornado, White

When: January 7, 4:58 PM CST
Where: White County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.230, -88.350

Tornado, Wayne

When: January 7, 5:01 PM CST
Where: Wayne County
Rating: F2
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.280, -88.330

Tornado, White

When: January 7, 5:10 PM CST
Where: White County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Coordinates: 38.230, -88.370

Hail, White

When: January 7, 5:10 PM CST
Where: White County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.220, -88.050

Tornado, Edwards

When: January 7, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Edwards County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.320, -88.130

Tornado, Wabash

When: January 7, 5:24 PM CST
Where: Wabash County
Rating: F4
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 50 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 38.480, -87.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When: January 7, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County
Coordinates: 38.700, -87.670

Tornado, Wabash

When: January 7, 5:37 PM CST
Where: Wabash County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.380, -87.930

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

Every storm in Illinois in 1989 Every state in 1989 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1989 Warnings in Illinois, January 1989

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: 10004884, 10004885, 10004886, 10004887, 10004888, 10004889, 10004890, 10004891, 10004892, 10004893, 10004894, 10004895, 10004896, 10004897, 10004898.