Illinois, 1991

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 31, 1991

May 31, 1991 · NWS PIA · 17 events in 10 counties and zones

15 thunderstorm wind, 2 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
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

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 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock Island

When
May 31, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Coordinates
41.550, -90.650

Tornado, Rock Island

When
May 31, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
41.630, -90.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock Island

When
May 31, 2:25 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates
41.450, -90.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Boone

When
May 31, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Boone County
Coordinates
42.250, -88.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Bureau

When
May 31, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Bureau County
Coordinates
41.550, -89.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 31, 3:45 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Coordinates
42.080, -88.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Kane

When
May 31, 3:55 PM CST
Where
Kane County
Coordinates
42.030, -88.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 31, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Coordinates
42.120, -87.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 31, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Cook County
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
41.830, -87.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Will

When
May 31, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Will County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.630, -88.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Kankakee

When
May 31, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Kankakee County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.120, -87.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When
May 31, 5:35 PM CST
Where
Fulton County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
40.570, -90.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When
May 31, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Peoria County
Coordinates
40.780, -89.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When
May 31, 6:05 PM CST
Where
Peoria County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
40.700, -89.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When
May 31, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Peoria County
Coordinates
40.920, -89.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When
May 31, 6:20 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County
Coordinates
40.570, -89.630

Tornado, Tazewell

When
May 31, 6:42 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
40.430, -89.270

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, Cook1991-05-31Direct

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 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: 10005870, 10005871, 10005872, 10005873, 10005874, 10005875, 10005876, 10005877, 10005878, 10005879, 10005880, 10005881, 10005882, 10005883, 10005884, 10005885, 10005886.