High Wind, Knox
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Knox forecast zone
- Measured
- 43 kt (49 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Illinois, October 30, 1996
High winds associated with a strong area of low pressure caused damage in numerous counties throughout Central Illinois. Sustained winds averaged 30 to 40 mph with gusts to near 65 mph in some areas.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 21 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
- 21
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.
High winds associated with a strong area of low pressure caused damage in numerous counties throughout Central Illinois. Sustained winds averaged 30 to 40 mph with gusts to near 65 mph in some areas. Most of the damage was to trees, tree limbs, and power lines. However, in Galesburg (Knox County) an addition to a church that was under construction was blown down. In Peoria (Peoria County), 3 busstop benches were blown over. One tree in Peoria Heights fell onto an unoccupied car causing major damage. Meanwhile, in Fulton County near Avon the high winds blew over a grain auger which in turn knocked down a light pole. In Pekin (Tazewell County), one tree fell onto a house causing damage to one bedroom. No injuries were reported. In Roanoke (Woodford County), the roof of a large storage building was blown off which damaged a small storage shed and a few trees when the roof landed on them. In Danville (Vermilion County), the high winds blew down the walls of a building under construction. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available from any of the counties who sustained damage.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
21 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Stark
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Stark forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.093, -89.797 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Peoria
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Peoria forecast zone
- Measured
- 47 kt (54 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Marshall
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.033, -89.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Woodford
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Woodford forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.788, -89.211 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Fulton
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Fulton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Tazewell
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Tazewell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, McLean
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- McLean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.491, -88.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Schuyler
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Schuyler forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.158, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Mason
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Mason forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Logan
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Logan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.125, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, De Witt
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- De Witt forecast zone
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.175, -88.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Piatt
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Piatt forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Champaign
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Champaign forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Vermilion
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Vermilion forecast zone
- Measured
- 54 kt (62 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Cass
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.974, -90.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Menard
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Menard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.027, -89.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Scott
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Scott forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.644, -90.475 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Morgan
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Morgan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.716, -90.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Sangamon
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Sangamon forecast zone
- Measured
- 40 kt (46 mph)
- Coordinates
- 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Macon
- When
- October 30, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Macon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.860, -88.962 (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
- High Wind in Ohio, October 30, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, October 30, 1996
- High Wind in Michigan, October 30, 1996
- Strong Wind in Wisconsin, October 30, 1996
- High Wind in Iowa, October 30, 1996
- High Wind in Iowa, October 30, 1996
- High Wind in New York, October 30, 1996
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, October 30, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, October 30, 1996
- High Wind in New York, October 30, 1996
- High Wind in Minnesota, October 30, 1996
- High Wind in New York, October 30, 1996
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5573630, 5573631, 5573632, 5573633, 5573634, 5573635, 5573636, 5573637, 5573638, 5573639, 5573640, 5573641, 5573642, 5573643, 5573644, 5573645, 5573646, 5573647, 5573648, 5573649, 5573650.