Illinois, 1997

High Wind in Illinois, April 30, 1997

April 30, 1997 · NWS LSX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

West to northwest winds of 30 to 40 with gusts in excess of 50 blew in behind a cold front causing widespread damage. Most damage was limited to trees, powerlines, outbuildings, and signs.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

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.

West to northwest winds of 30 to 40 with gusts in excess of 50 blew in behind a cold front causing widespread damage. Most damage was limited to trees, powerlines, outbuildings, and signs. Some roofs lost shingles as well.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Greene

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.356, -90.390 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Macoupin

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Macoupin forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.261, -89.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Montgomery

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.231, -89.479 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Bond

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Bond forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
38.887, -89.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Clinton

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Clinton forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
38.607, -89.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Washington

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
38.352, -89.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Randolph

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Randolph forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
38.052, -89.825 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Adams

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Adams forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.988, -91.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Brown

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.962, -90.750 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Pike

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.623, -90.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Calhoun

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Calhoun forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.169, -90.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jersey

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Jersey forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.086, -90.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Madison

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
38.830, -89.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, St. Clair

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
St. Clair forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
38.470, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Fayette

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Fayette forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
39.000, -89.024 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Marion

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Marion forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
38.650, -88.919 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Monroe

When
April 30, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, April 1997

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: 5593257, 5593258, 5593259, 5593260, 5593261, 5593262, 5593263, 5593264, 5593265, 5593266, 5593267, 5593268, 5593269, 5593270, 5593271, 5593272, 5593273.