Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 9, 1995

A tornado briefly touched down 1 NW of Alexander destroying a couple of sheds and damaging one home. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available.

A tornado briefly touched down 1 E of Prentice damaging two homes and destroying several outbuildings. Numerous trees were blown down. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available.

A tornado developed 3 NE of Salisbury and moved northeast lifting 5 NE of Beason in Logan County at 1756 CST. The path width varied from one-quarter to three-quarters of a mile and was on the ground for 40 miles. The tornado caused significant damage in Cantrall (three homes destroyed, 10 had major damage, 11 had minor damage, and the roof and interior of a grade school suffered extensive damage). In the Brookwood Hills Subdivision in Menard County (3 SE Athens), one home was destroyed, one had major damage, 12 homes suffered minor damage, and one farm in the area sustained damage to barns and silos. In Elkhart, 50 to 75 homes were damaged, as well as, several businesses. In Flamingo Heights subdivision (4S of Lincoln), all 23 homes were damaged. Numerous power lines, poles, trees, and a 400 foot cellular tower were blown down. With all of the damage, only six people suffered minor injuries. Preliminary damage estimates were $1 million in Sangamon County, $1 Million in Menard County, and over $8 million in Logan County.

The damage produced by this tornado was mainly restricted to out buildings. Some homes received minor damage.

Port Byron, Hillsdale, and Cordova were the hardest hit communities from this tornado. The Gerald Smeltzly farm sustained $50.000 of damage and the Jimmy Franks farm received $30.000 of damage. Most out buildings received heavy damage while both homes received moderate damage. A tree branch was blown through the bedroom wall of the Smeltzly home protruding into the home at least a foot.

A tornado briefly touched down in a field 2 W of Cuba. No damage or injuries were reported.

Ham radio spotters reported threee-quarters inch diameter hail in the Brighton area. Several minutes later, the Illinois State Police and the county sheriff reported golf ball-size hail in and around Carlinville, lasting for about ten minutes.

A tornado developed 3 SW of Canton and moved to the northeast. It knocked down numerous tree limbs, twisted off the tops of some trees and power poles, and bent a communications tower at a 45 degree angle. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available.

A small tornado briefly touched down near the Ebenezer Church north of Geneseo at about 1800 CDT. Gordon Sammons' mobile home was blown over on its side against a utility pole which apparently prevented it from continuing its role. As Mr. Sammons crawled up and out of his home he looked skyward and saw the funnel dipping down from the clouds.

The damage produced by this tornado was mainly restricted to out buildings. Some homes received minor damage.

This tornado was first reported near Neponset at 1730 CDT - near highway 92 by 1800 CDT and photographed just west of Walnut at 1815 CDT. Photographs taken by Kevin Hladik verified that at least two tornadoes were on the ground at the same time in the Walnut area. The tornadoes appeared to be several hundred yards apart. The Melvin "Red" Donovan farm had some of the most extensive damage including their two story farm house that was totally destroyed. Most of the house debris was little more than kindling wood. The basement was almost entirely filled with tornado debris so thankfully the Donovans were not home when the tornado struck. Damage was estimated at $300,000 to $500,000 in the Walnut area alone. Two sheriff squad cars were dented by golf ball-size hail as deputies were tracking the tornadoes. On one of the cars the windshield and one headlight were broken out.

The heaviest damage was in the Twin Oaks area which is five miles east of Fulton. Four homes were destroyed and six homes had major damage. Thirty-six farm buildings were damaged or destroyed on the 15 or 16 farm sites that were hit. Fields and ditches along U.S. 30 looked like a battle zone with twisted metal sticking from the ground. Gary Engelkens survived the tornado inside his mobile home. "I saw it coming, and I thought this was it," he said. He hid under a day-bed when the walls started flying and the bed started shaking. He leaped into the bathroom and then realized there was no roof anymore. "My ears popped and the pressure went up and then pandemonium," he said. The Gary Dykstra farm site, east of Fulton, had nearly all farm buildings destroyed. Gary and his wife were halfway down the basement steps when the tornado hit. The clock stopped at 1825 CDT. Mrs. Dykstra said it got blacker than coal before the tornado struck. Mr. Dykstra said thirty years of work was wiped out and he will not go back into the cattle business. The Jeff Holeginger home on Fenton Road near Fulton was also hit hard. Holesinger saw the tornado moments before it reached his home. Mr. Holeginger said it sounded like a great big freight train going right over the top. The whole house was picked up and dropped down again. Frank George, who farms at the Twin Oaks curve south of Route 30, was in his barn feeding the hogs when the tornado threw the barn across the road. He was not injured. The tornado produced minor damage and emptied itself of debris as it lifted across central Carroll County.

A tornado touched down 3 SW of South Pekin and moved to the northeast. Several barns were destroyed just south of South Pekin and one house had minor damage. The tornado sent a 2" x 4" through the grill of a pickup truck. As it moved through the northern part of South Pekin, it destroyed a railroad workers' barracks, slightly injuring one worker, and blew over four empty railroad cars. Numerous large trees were blown over. Several cars were smashed by fallen trees (three people were trapped in one car-none were injured). Also, four or five garages were destroyed and part of the roof was missing from a Lutheran church. Damage was estimated around $1 million.

Ham radio spotters reported threee-quarters inch diameter hail in the Brighton area. Several minutes later, the Illinois State Police and the county sheriff reported golf ball-size hail in and around Carlinville, lasting for about ten minutes.

WFO ILX reported 2.25-inch hail on the east side of Lincoln. Hail of various sizes fell for 40 minutes ending at 1730 CST. The hail damaged thousands of cars and homes (mainly roof damage) in Lincoln, causing $12 million in damage.

State Police reported a tornado on the ground southwest of Harmon. No damage was reported. Golf ball-size hail fell near Dixon.

Thunderstorms winds blew down numerous large tree branches in Bartonville.

A small tornado touched down briefly in the extreme southwest part of the county. Reported by a SKYWARN spotter.

A small tornado touched down briefly causing little if any damage. A major outbreak of tornado and severe weather occurred across eastern Iowa and parts of northwest and west-central Illinois. There were no injuries or fatalities. Total damage estimates across northwest Illinois were well in excess of $5 million.

State Police reported a tornado on the ground southwest of Harmon. No damage was reported. Golf ball-size hail fell near Dixon.

The Illinois State Police reported a brief tornado touchdown.

A tornado touched down 2 N of Wapella destroying several outbuildings, then it hopped and skipped along a 13-mile path causing sporadic damage along the way, mainly to trees and power lines. It did damage two to three homes in LeRoy before it finally dissipated. No one was injured and damage was estimated around $150,000.

A tornado struck three farms briefly just east of Nokomis doing significant damage to several outbuildings. One farm lost a machine shed and a grain bin. Homes on the farms suffered superficial roof damage. The tornado was only on the ground for a few minutes.

A tornado briefly touched down 2 SE of Oconee destroying two mobile homes, as well as, several outbuildings. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available.

A tornado touched down 3 SW of Saybrook knocking down numerous large trees before lifting 2 NW of Saybrook. No one was injured and no damage estimates were available.

A tornado touched down 2 NW of Saybrook and traveled to the northeast. Five homes were damaged, several outbuildings destroyed, and numerous large trees were blown down. No one was injured and damage was estimated around $106,000.

A tornado touched down 2 NW of Saybrook and traveled to the northeast. Five homes were damaged, several outbuildings destroyed, and numerous large trees were blown down. No one was injured and damage was estimated around $106,000.

A tornado touched down 2 NW of Saybrook and traveled to the northeast. Five homes were damaged, several outbuildings destroyed, and numerous large trees were blown down. No one was injured and damage was estimated around $106,000.

A tornado touched down 2 E of Cold Spring destroying three large barns and causing minor damage to several homes. Numerous trees were blown down. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available.

A weak narrow tornado knocked down trees and collapsed a porch on a house in Thawville. Doors were blown off a barn southwest of Onarga. Two farm houses were damaged about two miles west of Onarga on Route 54. A brick wall collapsed on one house. An outbuilding was damaged and trees were down.