Illinois, 1996

Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996

April 19, 1996 · NWS DVN · 2 events in 1 county or zone

10 Million in damage and 4 hospitalized as this tornado moved from Bishop Hill through Galva. At least 6 Million of damage was reported in the city limits of Galva where 150 homes were damaged, 26 received extensive damage, and 15 had to be destroyed.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
8
Property damage
$20 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 DVN wrote it up.

10 Million in damage and 4 hospitalized as this tornado moved from Bishop Hill through Galva. At least 6 Million of damage was reported in the city limits of Galva where 150 homes were damaged, 26 received extensive damage, and 15 had to be destroyed. Extensive damage was also received to the city sewage treatment plant. A second, small and short lived tornado, did much less damage to the eastern part of town, most notably pushing over gravestones in a cemetery and downing trees.

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 60 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Henry

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to 6:10 PM CST
Where
Henry County, Bishop Hill to Galva
Rating
F3
Path length
3 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10 million
Coordinates
41.200, -90.120

Tornado, Henry

When
April 19, 6:10 PM CST to 6:20 PM CST
Where
Henry County, Galva
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10 million
Coordinates
41.170, -90.050

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

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: 5555031, 5555032.