Illinois, 1996

Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996

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

A tornado touched down briefly 3 miles south of Monticello, in the Breezy Meadows subdivision where it destroyed 2 homes, seriously damaged a third, caused major damage to a church and a metal machine shed. The tornado then lifted and travelled to the northeast touching down 2 miles southeast of Monticello at the Monticello Airport.

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
1
Property damage
$1.0 million
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 briefly 3 miles south of Monticello, in the Breezy Meadows subdivision where it destroyed 2 homes, seriously damaged a third, caused major damage to a church and a metal machine shed. The tornado then lifted and travelled to the northeast touching down 2 miles southeast of Monticello at the Monticello Airport. Again, the tornado was only on the ground briefly, destroying 3 single engine planes, 2 gliders, a hanger and caused major damage to another hanger before lifting and dissipating. Only one minor injury was reported and damage was estimated around $1 million.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:00 UTC.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Piatt

When
April 19, 7:00 PM CST to 7:10 PM CST
Where
Piatt County, Monticello to 3 mi SE of Monticello
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
300 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$1.0 million
Coordinates
39.980, -88.570

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: 5543903.