Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 27, 1994

Name: Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 27, 1994
Start: 1994-04-27T00:00
End: 1994-04-27T17:58
Location: Illinois

April 27, 1994 · 12 events in 7 counties and zones

6 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: 3
Property damage: $511,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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

6 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Edgar

When: April 27, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Edgar County, Chrisman
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 39.679, -87.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds damaged a mobile home and moved a utility shed in Chrisman.

Hail, Hamilton

When: April 27, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous trees were blown down and hail fell.

Hail, St. Clair

When: April 27, 12:03 AM CST
Where: St. Clair County, Centreville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.470, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ham radio spotters reported dime-size hail in Centreville. The county sheriff reported trees and power lines down in Belleville several minutes later, followed by golf ball-size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Clair

When: April 27, 12:10 AM CST
Where: St. Clair County, Belleville
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 38.470, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ham radio spotters reported dime-size hail in Centreville. The county sheriff reported trees and power lines down in Belleville several minutes later, followed by golf ball-size hail.

Hail, St. Clair

When: April 27, 12:15 AM CST
Where: St. Clair County, Belleville
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $500
Coordinates: 38.470, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ham radio spotters reported dime-size hail in Centreville. The county sheriff reported trees and power lines down in Belleville several minutes later, followed by golf ball-size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Edgar

When: April 27, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Edgar County, Horace
Coordinates: 39.679, -87.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and snapped several utility poles 1 mile north of Horace. Also, the thunderstorm winds blew out several windows on a home in Horace, as well as, some shingle damage.

Hail, Richland

When: April 27, 1:23 AM CST
Where: Richland County, Olney
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 38.712, -88.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Randolph

When: April 27, 1:55 AM CST
Where: Randolph County, Steeleville
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.052, -89.825 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county sheriff reported one-inch diameter hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: April 27, 2:40 AM CST
Where: Jackson County, Ava
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When: April 27, 3:05 AM CST
Where: Hamilton County, McCleansboro
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous trees were blown down and hail fell.

Tornado, Franklin

When: April 27, 4:05 AM CST
Where: Franklin County, West Frankfort
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A tornado touched down just east of West Frankfort at Old Ben Coal Mine Number 25. One mobile home was destroyed. A 100' by 300' mine building was 805 destroyed. There was 1 injury.

Hail, St. Clair

When: April 27, 5:58 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County, Belleville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.470, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ham radio spotters reported 0.75-inch diameter hail at the intersection of Highways 159 and 15 on the south end of Belleville.

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

Every storm in Illinois in 1994 Every state in 1994 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1994 Warnings in Illinois, April 1994

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: 10320511, 10320706, 10322631, 10322671, 10322672, 10320512, 10322816, 10322773, 10320281, 10320707, 10320593, 10322673.