Illinois, 1997

Tornado and Damaging Wind in Illinois, July 27, 1997

July 27, 1997 · NWS DVN · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Scattered thunderstorms produced a few severe wind gusts and one weak tornado which formed along the line of storms.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Scattered thunderstorms produced a few severe wind gusts and one weak tornado which formed along the line of storms.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Rock Island

When
July 27, 4:10 PM CST to 4:15 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County, 1 mi N of Coal Vly
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
41.450, -90.470

A weak tornado spun up just southeast of the I80/I74/I280 interchange. No damage was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When
July 27, 5:20 PM CST
Where
Warren County, Smithshire
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
40.800, -90.780

Tree down on car. Numerous power lines down.

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.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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, July 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: 5601601, 5601600.