Illinois, 2000

Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 12, 2000

May 12, 2000 · NWS ILX · 29 events in 20 counties and zones

22 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 3 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
$300,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
29

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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Mason

When
May 12, 2:11 PM CST to 2:45 PM CST
Where
Mason County, Easton
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.233, -89.833

Hail, Menard

When
May 12, 2:43 PM CST to 2:50 PM CST
Where
Menard County, Petersburg
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.017, -89.850

Tornado, Logan

When
May 12, 3:00 PM CST to 3:01 PM CST
Where
Logan County, 1 mi SE of Hartsburg
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
20 yd
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.250, -89.433

A tornado briefly touched down in a field about half a mile southeast of Hartsburg, crossed Illinois Route 121, then lifted. No damage was reported.

Hail, Logan

When
May 12, 3:08 PM CST to 3:46 PM CST
Where
Logan County, Broadwell
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
40.067, -89.450

Hail, Tazewell

When
May 12, 3:30 PM CST to 3:38 PM CST
Where
Tazewell County, Groveland
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
40.600, -89.533

Tornado, Sangamon

When
May 12, 3:30 PM CST to 3:34 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County, 1 mi N of Dawson
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.867, -89.467

A tornado made a series of touch downs in open fields for 2 miles before lifting and dissipating. No damage was reported.

Hail, Woodford

When
May 12, 3:47 PM CST to 4:01 PM CST
Where
Woodford County, 2 mi S of Eureka
Measured
2.5 in hail
Property damage
$300,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.683, -89.267

Over 100 cars sustained hail damage in the Eureka and Roanoke areas. Damage is estimated around $300,000.

Hail, De Witt

When
May 12, 3:51 PM CST
Where
De Witt County, Kenney
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.100, -89.083

Hail, Sangamon

When
May 12, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County, Illiopolis
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.417, -89.417

Tornado, Macon

When
May 12, 4:00 PM CST to 4:15 PM CST
Where
Macon County, 2 mi N of Niantic
Rating
F0
Path length
7 mi
Path width
20 yd
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
39.883, -89.167

A tornado made a series of touch downs in open fields over a 7 mile long path, but no damage was reported.

Hail, Macon

When
May 12, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Macon County, Maroa
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.033, -88.950

Hail, Sangamon

When
May 12, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County, Divernon
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.567, -89.667

Hail, Vermilion

When
May 12, 5:25 PM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Potomac
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.300, -87.800

Hail, Champaign

When
May 12, 5:39 PM CST
Where
Champaign County, Tolono
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.983, -88.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Vermilion

When
May 12, 6:18 PM CST to 6:21 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Catlin
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.067, -87.700

Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous power lines. Also, in Westville a tree was blown over onto a house causing minor damage. No injuries were reported.

Hail, Vermilion

When
May 12, 6:18 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Catlin
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.067, -87.700

Hail, Macon

When
May 12, 6:30 PM CST to 6:35 PM CST
Where
Macon County, 4 mi SE of Mt Zion
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.733, -88.833

Hail, Effingham

When
May 12, 6:30 PM CST to 7:08 PM CST
Where
Effingham County, Altamont
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.067, -88.750

Hail, Coles

When
May 12, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Coles County, 1 mi NW of Mattoon
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.500, -88.383

Hail, Christian

When
May 12, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Christian County, Pana
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.383, -89.083

Thunderstorm Wind, Edgar

When
May 12, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Edgar County, 1 mi N of Dudley
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.600, -87.850

Thunderstorm winds blew down several large trees and caused moderate roof damage to two barns one mile north of Dudley.

Hail, Piatt

When
May 12, 6:55 PM CST
Where
Piatt County, Monticello
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
STORM CHASER
Coordinates
40.033, -88.567

Hail, Shelby

When
May 12, 7:02 PM CST
Where
Shelby County, Cowden
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.250, -88.867

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When
May 12, 7:14 PM CST to 7:40 PM CST
Where
Jasper County, Wheeler
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.050, -88.317

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down between Wheeler and Newton.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
May 12, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Clay County, Flora
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.667, -88.483

Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree and several power lines in Flora.

Hail, Champaign

When
May 12, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Champaign County, St Joseph
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.117, -88.033

Hail, Clay

When
May 12, 8:25 PM CST
Where
Clay County, Flora
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.667, -88.483

Hail, Crawford

When
May 12, 8:35 PM CST
Where
Crawford County, Robinson
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.000, -87.733

Hail, Lawrence

When
May 12, 9:20 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Bridgeport
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.717, -87.750

What these are

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.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2000Warnings in Illinois, May 2000

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: 5149654, 5149655, 5149658, 5149656, 5149657, 5149946, 5149947, 5149948, 5149949, 5149951, 5149950, 5149952, 5149953, 5149954, 5149955, 5149956, 5149957, 5149959, 5149960, 5149958, 5149961, 5149962, 5149963, 5150021, 5150022, 5150023, 5150024, 5150025, 5150026.