Illinois, 1996

Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996

April 19, 1996 · NWS ILX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A tornado touched down just south of the Logan/Tazewell County line (on 1350E), causing minor damage to three homes. Then the tornado travelled to the northeast, through the south side of Armington, destroying one home as well as several outbuildings.

Where it happened

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$2.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 just south of the Logan/Tazewell County line (on 1350E), causing minor damage to three homes. Then the tornado travelled to the northeast, through the south side of Armington, destroying one home as well as several outbuildings. Also, 2 homes sustained major damage and 5 homes sustained minor damage. After moving through the Armington area, the tornado moved into southwestern McLean County. Here it destroyed a church and one home and caused major damage to another home in the area. Also, 8 homes sustained minor damage and numerous barns, outbuildings, grain bins, trees, and farm equipment were either damaged or destroyed. No injuries were reported. Damage was estimated around $15,000 in Logan County, $1 million in Tazewell County, and around $1 million in McLean County.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 19 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:55 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Logan

When
April 19, 5:58 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Logan County, 3 mi NNE of Union
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
220 yd
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
40.320, -89.350

Tornado, Tazewell

When
April 19, 6:00 PM CST to 6:09 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County, Armington to 2 mi E of Armington
Rating
F2
Path length
4.4 mi
Path width
440 yd
Property damage
$1.0 million
Coordinates
40.320, -89.330

Tornado, McLean

When
April 19, 6:09 PM CST to 6:19 PM CST
Where
McLean County, Mc Lean to 5 mi W of Funks Grove
Rating
F3
Path length
4.8 mi
Path width
880 yd
Property damage
$1.0 million
Coordinates
40.350, -89.250

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: 5543909, 5543910, 5543911.