Tornadoes in Illinois, April 7, 1998

Name: Tornadoes in Illinois, April 7, 1998
Start: 1998-04-07T18:08
End: 1998-04-07T18:17
Location: Illinois

April 7, 1998 · NWS ILX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A tornado touched down 2 miles south of Cadwell and travelled to the northeast. In Moultrie County it either damaged or destroyed 9 homes, as well as, numerous barns, sheds, silos, and outbuildings.

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: 8
Property damage: $100,000
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 ILX wrote it up.

A tornado touched down 2 miles south of Cadwell and travelled to the northeast. In Moultrie County it either damaged or destroyed 9 homes, as well as, numerous barns, sheds, silos, and outbuildings. One double-wide mobile home was blown from its foundation. Four people were inside at the time. Three sustained minor injuries while one sustained serious injuries, including a broken back and leg after being thrown 200 yards by the tornado. Another home nearby was moved 3 feet off its foundation. When the tornado moved into Douglas County, it either damaged or destroyed 20 homes, 6 barns, and numerous other outbuildings. Also, 69 power poles were knocked down by the tornado in both counties. In Douglas County, 4 people sustained minor injuries, including one woman whose arm and collar bone were broken. The tornado lifted and dissipated just outside the town of Bourbon. In total, 8 people sustained injuries. In Moultrie County damage is estimated around $100,000. There is no damage estimate available for Douglas County.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:05 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Moultrie

When: April 7, 6:08 PM CST to 6:11 PM CST
Where: Moultrie County, Cadwell to 2 mi SE of Cadwell
Rating: F2
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 39.650, -88.520

Tornado, Douglas

When: April 7, 6:11 PM CST to 6:17 PM CST
Where: Douglas County, Arthur to 4 mi of Bourbon
Rating: F2
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 170 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 39.670, -88.470

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

Every storm in Illinois in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 1998 Warnings in Illinois, April 1998

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: 5641460, 5641461.