Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996

Name: Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996
Start: 1996-04-19T19:20
End: 1996-04-19T19:35
Location: Illinois

April 19, 1996 · NWS LSX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A small tornado traveled through parts of Fayette and Marion counties, creating an 11 mile damage path ranging from 50 to 80 yards in width. The tornado reached F1 intensity 3 times along the 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $150,000
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 LSX wrote it up.

A small tornado traveled through parts of Fayette and Marion counties, creating an 11 mile damage path ranging from 50 to 80 yards in width. The tornado reached F1 intensity 3 times along the path. One home and barn were destroyed in extreme southeast Fayette County in the early stages of the tornado, a barn and several sheds were destroyed just north of Patoka in Marion County, and another barn and sheds were destroyed when the tornado crossed into Fayette County again southeast of Shobonier.

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 131 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:18 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Fayette

When: April 19, 7:20 PM CST to 7:23 PM CST
Where: Fayette County, Carlyle Res North to 3 mi E of Carlyle Res North
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.5 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Property damage: $75,000
Coordinates: 38.770, -89.180

Tornado, Marion

When: April 19, 7:23 PM CST to 7:30 PM CST
Where: Marion County, Patoka to 2 mi NNE of Patoka
Rating: F1
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Coordinates: 38.750, -89.130

Tornado, Fayette

When: April 19, 7:30 PM CST to 7:35 PM CST
Where: Fayette County, Shobonier to 4 mi ESE of Shobonier
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Property damage: $75,000
Coordinates: 38.830, -89.030

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

Every storm in Illinois in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1996 Warnings 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: 5545022, 5545023, 5545024.