Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, July 20, 1994

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, July 20, 1994
Start: 1994-07-20T14:50
End: 1994-07-20T18:31
Location: Illinois

July 20, 1994 · 20 events in 9 counties and zones

15 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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: 1
Property damage: $60,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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, 3 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, McDonough

When: July 20, 2:50 PM CST
Where: McDonough County, Blandinsville
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: July 20, 3:29 PM CST
Where: Cass County, Beardstown
Coordinates: 39.974, -90.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree 2 S of Beardstown.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When: July 20, 4:43 PM CST
Where: Fulton County, Summum
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A large tree, two feet across and 35 feet long fell across Route 24.

Hail, Menard

When: July 20, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Menard County, Petersburg
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.027, -89.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When: July 20, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County, Marquette Heights
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A three-inch diameter tree was blown down and marble-size fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When: July 20, 5:07 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County, South Pekin
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Power lines were blown down. Peoria County Oak Hill,20,1716CST,,,0,0,1,0,Thunderstorm Winds Trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mason

When: July 20, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Mason County, Forest City
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Power lines were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When: July 20, 5:22 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County to Pekin
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Part of the roof of a Western Auto Parts store was blown off near the Pekin Mall. Large tree limbs were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When: July 20, 5:22 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County, Bartonville
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Part of the roof of a Western Auto Parts store was blown off near the Pekin Mall. Large tree limbs were blown down.

Tornado, Tazewell

When: July 20, 5:22 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County, Powerton
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.25 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A tornado touched down briefly but caused no damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When: July 20, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Peoria County, Peoria
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A flag pole was blown over near Weaver Farms.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When: July 20, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Sangamon County, Cantrall
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds blew off part of a roof on a double wide mobile home and broke several windows in the grade school in Cantrall. Also, numerous trees were blown down in Cantrall.

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When: July 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Peoria County, Peoria
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees were blown down. Tazewell County Morton,20,1735CST,,,0,0,1,0,Thunderstorm Winds Power lines were blown down. Lightning started a tree on fire.

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When: July 20, 5:32 PM CST
Where: Peoria County, Knocked Down. to Mossville
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees were blown down. Tazewell County Morton,20,1735CST,,,0,0,1,0,Thunderstorm Winds Power lines were blown down. Lightning started a tree on fire.

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When: July 20, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Peoria County, Peoria
Property damage: $50
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 2-foot diameter tree was blown down across Knoxville Avenue near the American Red Cross Office.

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When: July 20, 5:39 PM CST
Where: Peoria County, Peoria
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 30-square-foot brick facade of a building collapsed, injuring one person in a car, near downtown Peoria.

Hail, Tazewell

When: July 20, 5:39 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County to East Peoria
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When: July 20, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Sangamon County, Springfield
Coordinates: 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous large tree limbs and trees 1 N of Springfield.

Tornado, Tazewell

When: July 20, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County, Morton
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.25 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

State police reported a brief tornado touchdown near Interstate 74 just west of Morton.

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodford

When: July 20, 6:31 PM CST
Where: Woodford County, El Paso
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.211 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A large tree and a street light pole were blown down.

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

Every storm in Illinois in 1994 Every state in 1994 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1994 Warnings in Illinois, July 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: 10322648, 10320650, 10320624, 10322713, 10322790, 10322791, 10322593, 10322792, 10322793, 10322794, 10322563, 10322981, 10322564, 10322565, 10322566, 10322567, 10322795, 10322982, 10322823, 10322801.