Illinois, 1997

Tornadoes in Illinois, April 30, 1997

April 30, 1997 · NWS DVN · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A tornado made a series of "touches" over nearly 15 miles and two counties before dissipating. Little damage was reported until the storm neared Blandinsville, where it destroyed 3 farm buildings and tore the roofs off a home and a warehouse.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
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 DVN wrote it up.

A tornado made a series of "touches" over nearly 15 miles and two counties before dissipating. Little damage was reported until the storm neared Blandinsville, where it destroyed 3 farm buildings and tore the roofs off a home and a warehouse. The tornado also snapped 13 power poles near Blandinsville.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:05 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Hancock

When
April 30, 1:03 PM CST to 1:19 PM CST
Where
Hancock County, St Mary to 4 mi NE of Fountain Green
Rating
F0
Path length
12 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
40.350, -91.020

Tornado, McDonough

When
April 30, 1:19 PM CST to 1:25 PM CST
Where
McDonough County, Blandinsville to 2 mi of Blandinsville
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
40.530, -90.900

Tornado, Warren

When
April 30, 1:25 PM CST to 2:45 PM CST
Where
Warren County, Roseville to 17 mi of Roseville
Rating
F0
Path length
17 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
40.570, -90.900

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

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: 5592330, 5592331, 5592332.