Damaging Wind in Illinois, April 19, 1996

Name: Damaging Wind in Illinois, April 19, 1996
Start: 1996-04-19T21:05
End: 1996-04-19T21:05
Location: Illinois

April 19, 1996 · NWS LOT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Winds caused considerable damage over about a 2 mile wide swath near Rockton. Many large trees were broken off or uprooted.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.

Winds caused considerable damage over about a 2 mile wide swath near Rockton. Many large trees were broken off or uprooted. Several farm buildings were severely damaged or destroyed. The roof was torn off a garage. A construction trailer was overturned. Winds may have been up to 100 mph. A brief tornado or gustnado may have spun up at Rockton but the debris pattern was more indicative of downburst winds.

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:06 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Winnebago

When: April 19, 9:05 PM CST
Where: Winnebago County, Rockton
Coordinates: 42.450, -89.070

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, April 1996

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: 5541157.