High Wind, Madison
- When
- April 28, 8:00 AM CST to 9:30 AM CST
- Where
- Madison forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 38.830, -89.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Illinois, April 28, 1996
A significant pressure difference in the vicinity of a line of thunderstorms caused a widespread high wind event with winds gusts around 70 mph behind the line of storms. Major power outages occurred as trees and power lines were toppled.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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 significant pressure difference in the vicinity of a line of thunderstorms caused a widespread high wind event with winds gusts around 70 mph behind the line of storms. Major power outages occurred as trees and power lines were toppled. The majority of the damage in Illinois occurred in Madison County. Roofs were damaged in Edwardsville and Wood River. The Bethalto police station lost their roof during the wind. A tractor-trailer was blown off I-270 near the intersection with I-70. Damage across the area was estimated to be near $1 million.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, St. Clair
- When
- April 28, 8:00 AM CST to 9:30 AM CST
- Where
- St. Clair forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 38.470, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Monroe
- When
- April 28, 8:00 AM CST to 9:30 AM CST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 38.279, -90.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 28, 1996
- Tornado in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 28, 1996
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5545004, 5545005, 5545006.