Illinois, 1996

Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996

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

A tornado briefly touched down in Milmine completely destroying a new grain bin, throwing a grain auger across the railroad tracks, and caused minor damage to some homes in town, mainly some shingle and window damage. Also, several trees were blown down, windows on a number of cars were broken and several large trucks were overturned.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$500,000
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 briefly touched down in Milmine completely destroying a new grain bin, throwing a grain auger across the railroad tracks, and caused minor damage to some homes in town, mainly some shingle and window damage. Also, several trees were blown down, windows on a number of cars were broken and several large trucks were overturned. No injuries were reported and damage was estimated around $500,000.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Piatt

When
April 19, 6:55 PM CST to 6:57 PM CST
Where
Piatt County, Milmine
Rating
F1
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$500,000
Coordinates
39.900, -88.650

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: 5543902.