Illinois, 1991

Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 17, 1991

May 17, 1991 · NWS EVV · 26 events in 20 counties and zones

15 hail, 10 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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

15 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Ford

When
May 17, 12:30 PM CST
Where
Ford County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.470, -88.300

Hail, Vermilion

When
May 17, 1:58 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.120, -87.780

Hail, White

When
May 17, 3:10 PM CST
Where
White County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.080, -88.220

Hail, White

When
May 17, 3:25 PM CST
Where
White County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.980, -88.320

Hail, Whiteside

When
May 17, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.820, -89.970

Hail, Henry

When
May 17, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Henry County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.300, -90.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Randolph

When
May 17, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Randolph County
Coordinates
38.050, -89.820

Hail, Bureau

When
May 17, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.350, -89.730

Hail, Bureau

When
May 17, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.280, -89.600

Hail, Woodford

When
May 17, 6:14 PM CST
Where
Woodford County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
40.900, -89.030

Hail, Bureau

When
May 17, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
41.280, -89.370

Hail, McDonough

When
May 17, 6:45 PM CST
Where
McDonough County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.550, -90.870

Hail, McLean

When
May 17, 7:00 PM CST
Where
McLean County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.650, -88.800

Tornado, McDonough

When
May 17, 7:07 PM CST
Where
McDonough County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
40.570, -90.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When
May 17, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Fulton County
Coordinates
40.570, -90.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When
May 17, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Peoria County
Coordinates
40.830, -89.930

Hail, Livingston

When
May 17, 7:35 PM CST
Where
Livingston County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.980, -88.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Mason

When
May 17, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Mason County
Coordinates
40.230, -89.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When
May 17, 8:32 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County
Coordinates
40.470, -89.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Menard

When
May 17, 8:40 PM CST
Where
Menard County
Coordinates
40.080, -89.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When
May 17, 8:44 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County
Coordinates
40.430, -89.320

Hail, Adams

When
May 17, 8:50 PM CST
Where
Adams County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.780, -91.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When
May 17, 9:43 PM CST
Where
Macon County
Coordinates
39.850, -88.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Logan

When
May 17, 9:45 PM CST
Where
Logan County
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
40.020, -89.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Moultrie

When
May 17, 10:02 PM CST
Where
Moultrie County
Coordinates
39.720, -88.630

Hail, Mason

When
May 17, 10:35 PM CST
Where
Mason County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.280, -90.030

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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1991Every state in 1991This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1991Warnings in Illinois, May 1991

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: 10004785, 10005628, 10005839, 10005840, 10005841, 10005842, 10005843, 10005844, 10005845, 10005846, 10005847, 10005848, 10005849, 10005850, 10005851, 10005852, 10005853, 10005854, 10005855, 10005856, 10005857, 10005858, 10005859, 10005860, 10005861, 10005862.