Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, October 3, 1990

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, October 3, 1990
Start: 1990-10-03T16:20
End: 1990-10-03T21:20
Location: Illinois

October 3, 1990 · NWS STL · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

4 tornado, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3.3 million
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

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: October 3, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Coordinates: 38.670, -90.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When: October 3, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Macon County
Coordinates: 39.850, -88.950

Tornado, Iroquois

When: October 3, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Iroquois County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 40.780, -87.730

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Clair

When: October 3, 6:40 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Coordinates: 38.450, -89.970

Tornado, Saline

When: October 3, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Saline County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.900, -88.620

Tornado, Hamilton

When: October 3, 8:32 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.920, -88.620

Tornado, Pope

When: October 3, 9:20 PM CST
Where: Pope County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.580, -88.430

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

Every storm in Illinois in 1990 Every state in 1990 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1990 Warnings in Illinois, October 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: 10003607, 10003608, 10003609, 10003610, 10003611, 10003612, 10003613.