High Wind in Illinois, November 10 to 11, 1998

Name: High Wind in Illinois, November 10 to 11, 1998
Start: 1998-11-10T07:30
End: 1998-11-11T00:00
Location: Illinois

November 10 to 11, 1998 · NWS LOT · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 4
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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 LOT wrote it up.

Very strong low pressure moved across Iowa, eastern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin producing very strong winds across northern Illinois. The winds increased after a cold front passed in the morning and reached a peak in the late afternoon and evening hours before slowly susiding after midnight. Sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph were common throughout the area with a few gusts of 55 to 65 mph. The highest recorded gusts were 64 mph at Peru in LaSalle County, 65 mph from a spotter in Joliet, and 61 mph at Midway airport. Damage reports were numerous. Tree limbs were down in every county and in some cases entire trees were blown down and power poles and lines were either blown down or damaged by falling tree limbs. 531 thousand customers were without power at various times. There were numerous delays and some cancellations at Ohare Airport leaving 200 passengers stranded.Here are some specific damage reports. In Aurora, Kane County, a woman was injured by a falling tree branch. A 7 year old boy was injured by a falling tree limb near Lake Zurich in Lake County. A semi was blown over on an overpass near Rochelle in Ogle County and another was blown over near Elgin in Kane County. Both resulted in injuries. There was roof damage to buildings in Sugar Grove in Kane County, a condominium in Mt. Prospect in Cook County, an office building in Rolling Meadows in Cook County, a steel manufacturing plant in McHenry in McHenry County, an apartment in Chicago near 90th and Harlem, a tire shop in West Chicago in Kane County, and a church roof in Ottawa. In Peotone a downed power line sparked a fire that destroyed an apartment building. A brick wall under construction at a Vernon Hills school was blown down in Lake County and a chimney was blown over at a Blue Island bakery in Cook County. Seven parked planes were damaged at Palwaukee Airport in Cook County.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Cook

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Cook forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Boone

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.323, -88.823 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, De Kalb

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: De Kalb forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Du Page

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Du Page forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.852, -88.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ford

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Ford forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.597, -88.223 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Grundy

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.285, -88.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Iroquois

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Iroquois forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.747, -87.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Kane

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Kane forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Kankakee

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Kankakee forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.138, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Kendall

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Kendall forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.591, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, La Salle

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: La Salle forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.344, -88.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lake

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.349, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lee

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.746, -89.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Livingston

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.892, -88.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McHenry

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: McHenry forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.324, -88.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ogle

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Ogle forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.043, -89.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Will

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Will forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Winnebago

When: November 10, 7:30 AM CST to November 11, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.336, -89.161 (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

Every storm in Illinois in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, November 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: 5672739, 5672740, 5672741, 5672742, 5672743, 5672744, 5672821, 5672822, 5672823, 5672824, 5672825, 5672826, 5672827, 5672828, 5672829, 5672830, 5672831, 5672832.