Illinois, 1990

Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 16, 1990

May 16, 1990 · NWS STL · 13 events in 9 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 3 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
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$253,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When
May 16, 12:01 AM CST
Where
Fayette County
Coordinates
39.150, -89.120

Hail, Jersey

When
May 16, 12:18 AM CST
Where
Jersey County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.120, -90.320

Tornado, Effingham

When
May 16, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Effingham County
Rating
F1
Path length
10 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.070, -88.750

Tornado, Macoupin

When
May 16, 1:56 AM CST
Where
Macoupin County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
39.130, -89.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Effingham

When
May 16, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Effingham County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.070, -88.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Effingham

When
May 16, 2:15 AM CST
Where
Effingham County
Coordinates
38.980, -88.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When
May 16, 2:15 AM CST
Where
Jasper County
Coordinates
38.980, -88.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When
May 16, 2:15 AM CST
Where
Crawford County
Coordinates
38.970, -87.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When
May 16, 2:35 AM CST
Where
Crawford County
Coordinates
39.120, -87.670

Hail, Monroe

When
May 16, 4:49 PM CST
Where
Monroe County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
38.450, -90.200

Hail, St. Clair

When
May 16, 4:51 PM CST
Where
St. Clair County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.450, -89.970

Thunderstorm Wind, White

When
May 16, 6:42 PM CST
Where
White County
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
38.080, -88.220

Tornado, White

When
May 16, 7:00 PM CST
Where
White County
Rating
F1
Path length
10 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
38.170, -88.300

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, White1990-05-16Direct

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 1990Every state in 1990This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1990Warnings in Illinois, May 1990

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: 10004969, 10004970, 10004971, 10004972, 10004973, 10004974, 10004975, 10004976, 10004977, 10004978, 10004979, 10004980, 10004981.