Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, April 7, 1998

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, April 7, 1998
Start: 1998-04-07T15:45
End: 1998-04-07T17:13
Location: Illinois

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

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: $12,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 warm front pushed strong thunderstorms across West Central Illinois generating tornadoes, hail, brief heavy rain, and strong winds across Hancock and Warren counties. A shed was destroyed by thunderstorm winds in Hancock county. Around Monmouth numerous farm buildings were damaged or destroyed including a 4000 bushel grain bin and two hog sleeper sheds. At Gerlaw a brief tornado caused damage to a cemetary.

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 148 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:44 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Hancock

When: April 7, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Hancock County, 3 mi W of Elvaston
Property damage: $500
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.400, -91.300

Hail, Warren

When: April 7, 4:19 PM CST
Where: Warren County, 3 mi NW of Larchland
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.850, -90.680

Tornado, Warren

When: April 7, 4:31 PM CST
Where: Warren County, 3 mi S of Monmouth
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 1 yd
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.870, -90.630

Tornado, Warren

When: April 7, 4:42 PM CST
Where: Warren County, Monmouth
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 1 yd
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.920, -90.630

Tornado, Warren

When: April 7, 4:52 PM CST
Where: Warren County, 1 mi W of Monmouth
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 1.2 yd
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.920, -90.650

Tornado, Warren

When: April 7, 5:02 PM CST
Where: Warren County, 1 mi NE of Monmouth
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 1 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.930, -90.620

Tornado, Warren

When: April 7, 5:13 PM CST
Where: Warren County, Gerlaw
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 1 yd
Property damage: $200
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.980, -90.600

What these are

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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: 5662156, 5662157, 5662158, 5662159, 5662160, 5662161, 5662162.