Tornado, Hancock
- When
- April 30, 12:50 PM CST to 12:52 PM CST
- Where
- Hancock County, Warsaw to 3 mi S of Warsaw
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 1 mi
- Path width
- 20 yd
- Property damage
- $400,000
- Coordinates
- 40.320, -91.400
Tornadoes in Illinois, April 30, 1997
A tornado tracked nearly three miles across mostly open farm land but still managed to strike five farms destroying several outbuildings and over 20 power poles. As the storm neared Warsaw, Illinois, nearly 50 homes sustained damage to windows from downed trees and flying debris.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $1.2 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 DVN wrote it up.
A tornado tracked nearly three miles across mostly open farm land but still managed to strike five farms destroying several outbuildings and over 20 power poles. As the storm neared Warsaw, Illinois, nearly 50 homes sustained damage to windows from downed trees and flying debris. One home was damaged when a large 130 year old Oak tree toppled over. The tree destroyed the porch, carport, and the two family vehicles. Most disturbing, was that the tree crashed into the home and blocked the stairs to the basement just as the family attempted to take cover from the tornado. The family was unharmed.
The radar
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 159 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:48 UTC.
Event by event
3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Tornado, Hancock
- When
- April 30, 12:52 PM CST to 12:54 PM CST
- Where
- Hancock County, Warsaw to 2 mi S of Warsaw
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 1 mi
- Path width
- 20 yd
- Property damage
- $400,000
- Coordinates
- 40.320, -91.430
Tornado, Hancock
- When
- April 30, 12:54 PM CST
- Where
- Hancock County, Warsaw to 1 mi S of Warsaw
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 0.5 mi
- Path width
- 20 yd
- Property damage
- $400,000
- Coordinates
- 40.330, -91.430
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
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 30, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, April 30, 1997
- Tornado in Indiana, April 30, 1997
- Tornado in Missouri, April 30, 1997
- High Wind in Kentucky, April 30, 1997
- High Wind in Illinois, April 30, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Michigan, April 30, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 30, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, April 30, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, April 30, 1997
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 30, 1997
- Tornado in Illinois, April 30, 1997
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1997Warnings 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: 5592327, 5592328, 5592329.