Tornado, Morgan
- When
- April 19, 5:18 PM CST to 5:28 PM CST
- Where
- Morgan County, Jacksonville to 2 mi N of Orleans
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 6 mi
- Path width
- 880 yd
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $400,000
- Coordinates
- 39.730, -90.200
Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
A tornado touched down 2 miles east of Jacksonville, at the MOBIL Chemical Plant, moving east over a portion of the Jacksonville Correctional Facility. "F2" damage was found along this portion of the tornado path.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $400,000
- 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 ILX wrote it up.
A tornado touched down 2 miles east of Jacksonville, at the MOBIL Chemical Plant, moving east over a portion of the Jacksonville Correctional Facility. "F2" damage was found along this portion of the tornado path. The tornado then lifted and remained aloft for 2 miles before touching down again. It remained on the ground for 2 more miles, lifting 1 mile north of Orleans. Two railroad cars were turned over at the MOBIL Chemical Plant, which itself sustained some roof damage. Also, it damaged two guard towers, a greenhouse, and a fence at the prison. To the east of the prison, one home was destroyed, 3 sustained major damage, and several farm buildings were either damaged or destroyed. One person sustained minor injuries at the prison and damage was estimated around $400,000.
The radar
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:20 UTC.
Event by event
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- 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
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Missouri, April 19, 1996
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Hail in Texas, April 19, 1996
- Tornadoes in Indiana, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Indiana, April 19, 1996
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1996Warnings 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: 5543896.