Illinois, 1998

Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 12, 1998

May 12, 1998 · NWS DVN · 8 events in 3 counties and zones

5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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.

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 136 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:15 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Hancock

When
May 12, 4:17 PM CST
Where
Hancock County, Nauvoo
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.550, -91.380

Hail, Hancock

When
May 12, 4:27 PM CST
Where
Hancock County, Niota
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.620, -91.280

Hail, Hancock

When
May 12, 5:13 PM CST
Where
Hancock County, Fountain Green
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.480, -90.970

Thunderstorm Wind, McDonough

When
May 12, 5:25 PM CST
Where
McDonough County, 5 mi NW of Colchester
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.480, -90.870

Hail, McDonough

When
May 12, 5:25 PM CST
Where
McDonough County, 5 mi NW of Colchester
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.480, -90.870

Tornado, McDonough

When
May 12, 5:38 PM CST
Where
McDonough County, 4 mi E of Industry
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
0.5 yd
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.330, -90.520

A brief tornado touched down then lifted as the thunderstorm producing the tornado moved east. No damage was reported.

Hail, McDonough

When
May 12, 6:14 PM CST
Where
McDonough County, Adair
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.420, -90.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Whiteside

When
May 12, 8:43 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Tampico
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.630, -89.780

A gusty thunderstorm wind caused a tree to fall onto powerlines producing a brief power outage in Southeast Whiteside county.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 1998Warnings in Illinois, May 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: 5662917, 5662918, 5662919, 5662920, 5662921, 5662924, 5662922, 5662923.