Illinois, 2000

Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 18, 2000

May 18, 2000 · NWS LOT · 12 events in 4 counties and zones

A severe storm moved northeast across LaSalle, Kendall, Will and southern Cook Counties. It produced hail from 3/4 to golf ball size.

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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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.

A severe storm moved northeast across LaSalle, Kendall, Will and southern Cook Counties. It produced hail from 3/4 to golf ball size. The storm also produced wind damage in Kendall County and in southern Cook County. Kendall County emergency management reported large branches down along Route 52, and siding and roof damage to homes 10 to12 miles southwest of Yorkville. Power lines and trees were down blocking roads 10 to 20 miles southeast of Yorkville and also in Oswego. A spotter estimated winds to be 65 mph at Calumet City. The Chicago 911 center reported trees down, cars damaged in the 6700 block of South Green Street.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, La Salle

When
May 18, 4:05 PM CST to 4:08 PM CST
Where
La Salle County, 5 mi SW of Lostant
Rating
F0
Path length
3 mi
Path width
100 yd
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.100, -89.133

A trained spotter observed a tornado over a rural area southwest of Lostant. It lasted about 3 or 4 minutes before dissipating. No damage was reported.

Hail, Kendall

When
May 18, 4:18 PM CST
Where
Kendall County, Millington
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.567, -88.600

Hail, La Salle

When
May 18, 4:20 PM CST
Where
La Salle County, Streator
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.117, -88.833

Thunderstorm Wind, Kendall

When
May 18, 4:25 PM CST
Where
Kendall County, Sandwich
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
41.650, -88.617

Hail, Kendall

When
May 18, 4:29 PM CST
Where
Kendall County, 3 mi SW of Yorkville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.600, -88.483

Thunderstorm Wind, Kendall

When
May 18, 4:30 PM CST to 4:50 PM CST
Where
Kendall County, Newark
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.533, -88.583

Hail, Will

When
May 18, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Will County, Shorewood
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.517, -88.200

Hail, Will

When
May 18, 4:52 PM CST
Where
Will County, Joliet
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.533, -88.100

Hail, Will

When
May 18, 5:02 PM CST
Where
Will County, Romeoville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.633, -88.067

Hail, Cook

When
May 18, 5:44 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Calumet City
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.667, -87.633

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 18, 5:44 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Calumet City
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.667, -87.633

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
May 18, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Chicago
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.833, -87.650

What these are

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.
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.

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: 5144588, 5144589, 5144590, 5144591, 5144592, 5144682, 5144593, 5144594, 5144595, 5144679, 5144680, 5144681.