Illinois, 1990

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 9, 1990

May 9, 1990 · NWS SPI · 26 events in 25 counties and zones

23 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$300,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
26

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

23 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When
May 9, 12:30 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County
Coordinates
39.800, -89.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When
May 9, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County
Coordinates
39.220, -89.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Bond

When
May 9, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Bond County
Coordinates
38.900, -89.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
May 9, 7:05 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Coordinates
37.680, -89.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Williamson

When
May 9, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Williamson County
Coordinates
37.730, -88.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
May 9, 7:18 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Measured
74 kt (85 mph)
Coordinates
37.920, -89.030

Tornado, Macoupin

When
May 9, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Macoupin County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.500, -89.770

Tornado, Hamilton

When
May 9, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Hamilton County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
38.100, -88.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When
May 9, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Fayette County
Coordinates
38.830, -88.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Jersey

When
May 9, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Jersey County
Coordinates
39.120, -90.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When
May 9, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Clinton County
Coordinates
38.620, -89.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When
May 9, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Marion County
Coordinates
38.770, -88.850

Thunderstorm Wind, McLean

When
May 9, 7:30 PM CST
Where
McLean County
Coordinates
40.570, -88.580

Tornado, Champaign

When
May 9, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Champaign County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.100, -88.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Effingham

When
May 9, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Effingham County
Coordinates
38.920, -88.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
May 9, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Coordinates
38.830, -88.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Massac

When
May 9, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Massac County
Coordinates
37.150, -88.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne

When
May 9, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Wayne County
Coordinates
38.380, -88.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When
May 9, 7:55 PM CST
Where
Richland County
Coordinates
38.580, -88.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Crawford County
Coordinates
38.900, -87.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Cumberland

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Cumberland County
Coordinates
39.250, -88.220

Thunderstorm Wind, White

When
May 9, 8:05 PM CST
Where
White County
Coordinates
38.000, -88.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Edwards

When
May 9, 8:10 PM CST
Where
Edwards County
Measured
87 kt (100 mph)
Coordinates
38.520, -88.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When
May 9, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Richland County
Coordinates
38.730, -88.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Wabash

When
May 9, 8:20 PM CST
Where
Wabash County
Coordinates
38.550, -87.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When
May 9, 8:35 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County
Coordinates
38.720, -87.900

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.

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: 10005273, 10004148, 10005274, 10004149, 10004927, 10004928, 10004929, 10004930, 10004931, 10004932, 10004933, 10004934, 10004935, 10004936, 10004937, 10004938, 10004939, 10004940, 10004941, 10004942, 10004943, 10004944, 10004945, 10004946, 10004947, 10004948.