Illinois, 1998

Tornado and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 15, 1998

May 15, 1998 · NWS DVN · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

3 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
$50
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Henry

When
May 15, 6:27 PM CST to 6:40 PM CST
Where
Henry County, Orion to Woodhull
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.350, -90.380

Thunderstorm winds knocked down tree limbs and power lines across Western Henry county,

Tornado, Henry

When
May 15, 6:55 PM CST
Where
Henry County, Galva
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
1 yd
Property damage
$50
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.170, -90.050

Brief tornado downed powerlines and damaged rooftops in Galva.

Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll

When
May 15, 7:28 PM CST
Where
Carroll County, Shannon
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.150, -89.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Whiteside

When
May 15, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Lyndon
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.720, -89.930

Thunderstorm winds downed tree limbs producing light damage in the city of Lyndon.

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.
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: 5662841, 5662842, 5662843, 5662844.