High Wind, Knox
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Knox forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Illinois, September 29, 1997
A strong area of low pressure centered over Lake Superior created strong gradient winds over a large portion of the upper midwest. Sustained winds ranged from 25 to 35 mph with gusts to over 60 mph.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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
- 22
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.
A strong area of low pressure centered over Lake Superior created strong gradient winds over a large portion of the upper midwest. Sustained winds ranged from 25 to 35 mph with gusts to over 60 mph. Numerous trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down. One tree in Urbana (Champaign County) fell, crashing into the corner of a garage and the back roof of one residence. The structures sustained minor damage and no injuries were reported. Another tree in Bloomington (McLean County) fell causing minor damage to the front porch of one residence. In Rushville (Schuyler County), the high winds caused damage to the roof of the Rushville High School gym. No injuries were reported there. In Chillicothe (Peoria County), a large tree fell down causing considerable damage to a garage and a nearby shed. No injuries were reported. No damage estimates were available for any of the damage reported.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
22 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Cass
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.974, -90.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Champaign
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Champaign forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Christian
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Christian forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.546, -89.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, De Witt
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- De Witt forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.175, -88.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Fulton
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Fulton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Logan
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Logan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.125, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Macon
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Macon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.860, -88.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Marshall
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.033, -89.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Mason
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mason forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, McLean
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- McLean forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.491, -88.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Menard
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Menard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.027, -89.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Morgan
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Morgan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.716, -90.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Peoria
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Peoria forecast zone
- Measured
- 37 kt (43 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Piatt
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Piatt forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Sangamon
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sangamon forecast zone
- Measured
- 38 kt (44 mph)
- Coordinates
- 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Schuyler
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Schuyler forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.158, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Scott
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Scott forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.644, -90.475 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Stark
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stark forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.093, -89.797 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Tazewell
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Tazewell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Vermilion
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Vermilion forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Woodford
- When
- September 29, 10:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Woodford forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.788, -89.211 (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
- Damaging Winds in New York, September 29, 1997
- Strong Wind in Wisconsin, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Illinois, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Michigan, September 29 to 30, 1997
- High Wind in Illinois, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, September 29, 1997
- Strong Wind in New York, September 29, 1997
- Strong Wind in Wisconsin, September 29, 1997
- Strong Wind in Massachusetts, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, September 29, 1997
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, September 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: 5617602, 5617603, 5617604, 5617605, 5617606, 5617607, 5617608, 5617609, 5617610, 5617611, 5617612, 5617613, 5617614, 5617615, 5617616, 5617617, 5617618, 5617619, 5617620, 5617621, 5617622, 5617623.