A potent low pressure system progressed across the Midwest on Friday, March 14, 2025. Ahead of this system, temperatures soared nearly 30 degrees above normal with high temperatures reaching the low 80s across central Illinois.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 episode as NWS ILX wrote it up.
A potent low pressure system progressed across the Midwest on Friday, March 14, 2025. Ahead of this system, temperatures soared nearly 30 degrees above normal with high temperatures reaching the low 80s across central Illinois. Into the evening and overnight hours, a cold front swept across Illinois, with a line of severe thunderstorms developing ahead of the front. These storms produced widespread damaging straight-line winds and eight tornadoes within the NWS Lincoln County Warning Area, all of which occurred in eastern Illinois. Two of these tornadoes were rated EF-2: one in Moultrie and Piatt counties, and another in Cumberland and Coles counties. The latter of these resulted in two injuries.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 14, 7:32 PM CST, 38 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion...Updated National Weather Service Lincoln IL 832 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A severe weather outbreak is likely to occur this evening between 8pm and 2am. Structural damage is a reasonable possibility due to straight-line winds (75+ mph); tornadoes (EF-2+); and large hail (1" +). - A brief period of strong non-thunderstorm wind gusts between 40-60 mph may occur just ahead of the severe thunderstorm episode early this evening between 6-9pm. - Concern for rapid and erratic fire spread has led to a burn ban in areas north of Interstate 72 through this evening. Additional concerns for rapid fire spread return early next week. - Another powerhouse storm system arrives by the middle of next week, perhaps bringing additional severe weather to portions of central and southeast Illinois. && .MESOSCALE... Issued at 831 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 Key Messages...Damaging wind threat continues with all of the approaching storms. Relatively speaking, current guidance suggests the tornado threat between 9 and 1030 PM looks to be highest in the southwest portions of our CWA (Scott, Morgan, Sangamon Co.). Technical Discussion... No change to the expected damaging wind threat. After doing a deeper dive on the current/expected low-level moisture evolution, am becoming increasingly confident that (realtively speaking) the highest tor potential in our CWA the next few hours will be in Scott/Morgan (and perhaps eventually into Sangamon County). 0115z sfc obs show dewpoints only in the low/mid 40s at Springfield/Litchfield, but a corridor of low/mid 50s Td near St. Louis and surrounding areas. (Quincy was also reporting mid 50s dewpoints but storms had moved over that ASOS and it may not be reflective of the ambient environment). Latest WoFS runs show a narrow tongue of mid-50s Td advecting northward into Scott/Morgan Co area, and this is similar to what the RAP-based evolution shows. WoFS continues to depict strong low-level helicity tracks into Scott/Morgan/Sangamon Co around/slightly after 0230z (or 9:30pm). The storm currently over Pike Co, MO, as of 0125z, and moving to the northeast, may be just ahead of the corridor of better moisture, nevertheless, it and the other cells to the south that are also pushing NE will bear close watching. The KILX VAD profile shows low-level wind fields are still strengthening, now with 50 kt winds at 0.5 km AGL and over 70 kt winds at 1 km AGL. 0-1 km SRH values are now around 400 J/kg, up nearly 100 J/kg in just one hour. These wind fields are very supportive of tornadoes, it's just remains question of if sufficient moisture advects northward ahead of the storms. Erwin && .SHORT TERM... Issued at 211 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 A negatively-tilted, 500-mb trough and it's attendant surface low will continue to lift across the Plains this afternoon, with a Pacific front/dryline arcing towards the Missouri Ozarks and Mid- Mississippi Valley this evening. Convective-allowing models (CAMs) remain in excellent agreement that convective initiation will occur early this afternoon along the dryline as a tongue of 55-60 degF dewpoints and steepening mid-level lapse rates advect into western Missouri and effectively boost MLCAPE. While the initial storm mode will favor supercell structures across Missouri, the expectation is for storms to congeal and grow upscale into a mature QLCS by 00z/7pm due to fast storm motions and the deep-layer shear vectors becoming aligned more parallel to the boundary/forcing as the line approaches west central IL. While the kinematics associated with this line are high-end (99th percentile of climatology), the modest instability (500-1000 J/Kg MLCAPE) should preclude a derecho threat. Rather than a continuous wall of 75+ mph straight-line winds, we are advertising only pockets. Given the robust shear magnitudes and instability confined to the lowest 3km, as well as a strong, N-S oriented LLJ along the line, we anticipate multiple bowing/surging segments, reflectivity tags, and line breaks; all of which will lead to mesovortexgenesis and the potential for QLCS tornadoes. While it is extremely difficult to predict whether or not these embedded tornadoes will be significant (EF-2+), very high 0-3km SRH values (750+ m2/s2) and a large, humped hodograph suggests any mesovortex that does develop within the line will have depth and long-tracked potential, and this is evident in the 6-hr Updraft Helicity (UD) swaths from many of the CAMs. One recent historical comparison that springs to mind is the December 10, 2021 quasi-linear event, which brought 5 EF-2 tornadoes to portions of central IL. Just prior to this evening's convective episode, gusty non- thunderstorm winds will peak in the 45-60 mph range, primarily between 23z-02z/6-9pm, due to the surface pressure gradient tightening beneath a strengthening 70-kt LLJ core. With a very dry and well-mixed PBL lying ahead of the line of convection, it's a reasonable possibility that we achieve sporadic High Wind Warning criteria (58+ mph). Due to the brevity and uncertainty in coverage, we will continue the current Wind Advisory and upgrade later as needed. Other concerns we hold prior to tonight's storms include blowing dust and erratic fire behavior due to abnormally dry top soil and fine fuels (grass, leaves, twigs, pine needles, etc). We have refrained from issuing a Blowing Dust Advisory after coordinating with our Ag partners. Per their guidance, the vast majority of field work to this point has been anhydrous injections and not tillage, though certainly there has been some plowing. Then regarding the Red Flag Warning, which is ongoing, we still anticipate a brief period where wind gusts exceed RH values in areas north of I-72 later this afternoon. This, in tandem with the 80 deg temps and dry fuels, is what is driving the threat for rapid and erratic fire spread. MJA .LONG TERM... (Saturday through Next Friday) Issued at 211 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 A brief shot of cold air will arrive Saturday night into Sunday as northerly winds spill into the region behind the departing storm system. Temperatures will fall into the mid 30s beneath mostly cloudy skies, and we might even squeeze out a few snow showers as the axis of wrap-around moisture pushes through the region. Dry and continued cool weather will remain in place on Sunday, with any lingering cloud cover eroding beneath an advancing ridge axis. Monday through Wednesday will be characterized by dry, windy, and warm conditions as an upper ridge gradually becomes more amplified due to another deep trough carving into the Plains. Concern for elevated fire danger will return during this period as a well-mixed PBL helps pull down afternoon RHs (25-35%) amid warming temperatures (65-75 degF) and increasing southerly flow (30-40 mph) ahead of a rapidly deepening frontal system. Blowing dust may also be a concern during this time as we begin to enter spring tillage season. The next best chance (50-70%) for rain comes Wednesday afternoon along and ahead of a cold front. Instability looks very limited ahead of the front amid shallow moisture, and so widespread thunderstorm activity is not anticipated at this time. It does bear monitoring, though, as both strong deep-layer shear and synoptic ascent could yield isolated severe convection somewhere between the Mid-Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. The system dry slot will then quickly push through behind the cold front Wednesday evening before the axis of wrap-around moisture works across central Illinois late Wednesday night, perhaps providing some light snow. Another stretch of dry and cool weather returns Thursday and Friday behind the departing frontal system. NBM deterministic guidance currently offers daytime temperatures in upper 40s on Thursday before dropping near 30 degrees Thursday night. Temperatures then modestly increase into the lower 50s by next Friday. MJA && .AVIATION... (For the 00z TAFs through 00z Saturday Evening) Issued at 653 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 A line of strong to severe thunderstorms will move through central Illinois later this evening. Strong southerly winds will continue just ahead of the line of storms with even stronger gusts (roughly 55 kt or so) within pockets of the line of storms. Winds will remain elevated overnight and then ramp up once again Saturday morning as they gradually veer to the southwest. A cold front will move through Saturday afternoon/evening, turning winds to the west-northwest. There is a low chance (30-40%) for ceilings to drop below 3k ft on Saturday, so elected to keep them VFR for the time being. NMA && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 4 PM CDT Saturday for ILZ027>031-036>038- 040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lincoln IL 209 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-151915- Knox-Stark-Peoria-Marshall-Woodford-Fulton-Tazewell-McLean-Schuyler- Mason-Logan-De Witt-Piatt-Champaign-Vermilion-Cass-Menard-Scott- Morgan-Sangamon-Christian-Macon-Moultrie-Douglas-Coles-Edgar-Shelby- Cumberland-Clark-Effingham-Jasper-Crawford-Clay-Richland-Lawrence- 209 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Illinois, east central Illinois, southeast Illinois and west central Illinois. .DAY ONE...Tonight. A line of severe thunderstorms is expected to race across the area tonight between 8 pm and 2 am. The primary threat is damaging winds, potentially in excess of 80 mph, though large hail and a few tornadoes are also possible. Outside the storms, strong winds will occur tonight. Southeast wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are likely. These winds will cause any outdoor fires to spread rapidly. Also, blowing dust is possible in some areas. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Strong winds are forecast again on Saturday. Southwest wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are likely from mid morning to mid afternoon. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be needed from 8 pm tonight to 2 am Saturday. Expected storm motion is to the northeast around 60 mph. 25
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
518 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0514 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Dmg Manito 40.43N 89.78W
03/14/2025 Mason IL Emergency Mngr
Power pole snapped and lines downed
resulting in a road closure due to
non-thunderstorm winds.
&&
JRBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
528 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0510 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Dmg Farmington 40.70N 90.01W
03/14/2025 Fulton IL Emergency Mngr
Tree leaning on powerlines.
&&
JRBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
602 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 1 WSW Decatur Airport 39.83N 88.87W
03/14/2025 M53 MPH Macon IL ASOS
ASOS station KDEC Decatur Arpt.
0504 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst Coles County Airport 39.47N 88.27W
03/14/2025 M52 MPH Coles IL ASOS
ASOS station KMTO Coles Co. Mem AP.
0525 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 2 SE Low Point 40.85N 89.28W
03/14/2025 M51 MPH Woodford IL Mesonet
Mesonet station DVI11805 Lowpoint.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
612 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0550 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Dmg Oakford 40.10N 89.96W
03/14/2025 Menard IL Emergency Mngr
Park pavilion collapsed due to
non-thunderstorm winds.
&&
JRBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
628 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0550 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 NW Salisbury 39.93N 89.84W
03/14/2025 Menard IL Emergency Mngr
Utility pole snapped by non-thunderstorm
winds.
&&
JRBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
724 PM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0706 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 W Andrew 39.89N 89.68W
03/14/2025 Sangamon IL Public
Heavy roof damage from non-thunderstorm
winds.
&&
JRBThe Lincoln radar (KILX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:09 UTC.
38 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado, 6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Several tree branches were blown down onto power lines, resulting in a power outage.
The AWOS at Galesburg Municipal Airport measured a 69 mph gust.
Powerlines were blown down and pieces of metal roofing material were blown off from multiple buildings. A decaying tree was also split.
A metal carport was blown down.
Pieces of metal were blown off of farm outbuildings and a small area of drip edge was removed from a home.
Thunderstorm winds resulted in structural damage to the porch of a home.
A restaurant sign was blown over.
Multiple trees were blown down.
Roofing material was blown off of a large building.
A large but decaying tree was snapped near its base and blown over.
A tree was blown down.
A grain bin was destroyed and part of a barn roof was damaged.
Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph were estimated from New Berlin to Loami.
A fence and a few decaying trees were blown down.
A large section of sturdy fencing was blown over near Kroger on Route 40.
A rotted tree was snapped at its base at the Peoria Country Club Golf Course.
Multiple trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
A 61 mph wind gust was measured by the emergency manager.
Large trees were blown down on the south side of Washington.
A barn roof was blown off.
Siding damage occurred to an outbuilding and a garage.
A school bus barn roof was peeled off.
The second level of a barn was torn off near Findlay along Route 128.
Hail lasted for approximately five minutes and partially covered the road.
Trees were blown down on the north side of Bethany.
The tornado began near the intersection of county roads 100N and 2700E, about two miles south-southwest of Stewardson, where a hardwood tree was uprooted and the northeast side of the roof of a farm outbuilding was peeled off. The tornado crossed county road 2700E and struck a larger farm complex where a large farm building had its walls collapse and strewn about three-quarters of a mile to the northeast. The tornado crossed county road 2800E, damaging a small farm outbuilding. It continued northeast, uprooting a few large hardwood trees just north of county roads 300N and 3000E before dissipating.
A farm outbuilding was destroyed by thunderstorm winds.
The tornado began near county road 1175N, damaging a few trees and destroying a small shed. It then traveled north-northeast, destroying a large pole barn near county road 1300N and North 2900 East Road. As the tornado continued northeast, it destroyed two grain bins and snapped over a half dozen power poles. It uprooted multiple hardwood trees about a quarter mile west of county road 3000E before dissipating.
The tornado began along county road 700E, about three-quarters of a mile south of Old Springfield Road, destroying a farm outbuilding at that location. The tornado traveled east-northeast producing damage to trees and power lines. It destroyed another farm outbuilding to the northeast of county road 950E and county road 2500N before dissipating.
The doors and walls of a farm outbuilding were blown out.
Trees were snapped about half way up the trunk.
A farm outbuilding was completely destroyed.
A barn roof was blown off. This damage occurred about a mile and a half east of the Hammond tornado track.
The tornado began in far northern Moultrie County, two miles south-southwest of Hammond near the intersection of county roads 1100E and 2400N. The tornado was rated EF-1 in Moultrie County, with a path length of three miles. The tornado continued into Piatt County, crossing US Highway 36 near the southwest side of Hammond and following a curved path for over nine additional miles, producing EF-2 damage. The tornado dissipated in Piatt County northeast of the intersection of county roads North 1400 East Road and State Highway 105, about one mile west of the Piatt-Champaign County line. In Moultrie County, the tornado resulted in a few dozen trees being blown down, roof damage to a house, and damage to several farm outbuildings. From its start in Moultrie County through its dissipation in Piatt County, this tornado lasted a total of 13 minutes.
An EF-2 tornado began on the southeast side of Neoga, tracking through Cumberland County for 5.2 miles before continuing into Coles County for an additional 7.7 miles, where it also produced EF-2 damage. The tornado began south of county road 1000N, then moved into the southeast side of Neoga where it damaged the roof of a home, the roof of the high school, and caved in the front door of the elementary school. From there, it moved northeast and damaged a grain bin near the US Route 45 and I-57 intersection. Two injuries occurred to semi-truck drivers as their vehicles were overturned on I-57 at the US-45 exit. As the tornado continued northeast, additional damage occurred to trees, power poles, and farm outbuildings. Just south of the Cumberland-Coles County line, the tornado produced EF-2 damage to a home where large sections of the roof structure were removed. The tornado crossed into Coles County just over a half mile west of US Route 45.
The north wall of a farm building collapsed, resulting in roof failure. The building was open on the south side, through which the winds surged and led to the wall collapse.
This tornado began in far northern Moultrie County, where it produced EF-1 damage to trees, roofs, and a few outbuildings along a three mile path before continuing into Piatt County. It entered into Piatt County at the southwest corner of Hammond and then continued along a curved path for over nine additional miles. Numerous trees were damaged in Hammond, some of which caused damage to buildings as they fell. The peak intensity of EF-2 occurred near the intersection of Don Ryan St. and country road 100, where a farm outbuilding was completely destroyed with debris strewn to the northeast. The tornado continued to produce damage to trees and farm outbuildings as it continued east, and eventually east-northeast, for several more miles. The tornado dissipated northeast of the intersection of county roads North 1400 East Road and State Highway 105, about one mile west of the Champaign-Piatt County line. From its start in Moultrie County through its dissipation in Piatt County, this tornado lasted a total of 13 minutes.
An EF-2 tornado began on the southeast side of Neoga, tracking through Cumberland County for 5.2 miles before continuing into Coles County and continuing for an additional 7.7 miles, where it also produced EF-2 damage. The tornado crossed into Coles County just over a half mile west of US Route 45. The tornado damaged several power poles along county road 1400N as it entered Coles County. As the tornado continued northeast, it completely destroyed seven grain bins, littering the adjacent farm fields with debris. Additional damage to grain bins, power poles, and trees occurred along the tornado path until it dissipated east of Lerna Road and south of east CR 450N, approximately 1.7 miles northwest of Lerna.
A tornado began near county roads 1100N and 500E, approximately 3.5 miles north of Mattoon. It snapped 11 power poles, strewing debris into the field to the east-northeast. The tornado tracked east-northeast, but quickly dissipated about one mile west of US Route 45.
Large tree branches were broken and a small outbuilding was shifted slightly on its foundation.
Several power poles were blown down.
A fence and roof were damaged and several trees and power poles were blown down.
A 15-20 foot tall spruce tree was uprooted, fences were blown over, and a road sign was bent.
A 64 mph gust was measured by the ASOS at Willard Airport (KCMI).
A tree was blown down near the intersection of Church St. and McKinley Avenue.
A tornado began just south of county road 2100, producing damage to trees and fencing near Sellers. The tornado continued northeast, producing additional damage to trees and farm outbuildings. Along county road 2600, approximately one mile west of Flatville, a small shed was blown over and shingle damage occurred to a house. The tornado continued northeast towards Gifford, producing shingle and siding damage to houses on the west side of Gifford and also flipping a few trailers. The tornado continued northeast, destroying two farm outbuildings near county road 3300 before dissipating.
An open-air farm outbuilding had its walls collapsed and roofing blown off.
The tornado began one mile south of Paris near the intersection of east 750th Road and north 1400th St., where it leveled an outbuilding and snapped a tree, resulting in damage to a house. The tornado then tracked northeast, moving through the south and east parts of Paris where it damaged several homes, mobile homes, and trees. The tornado continued to snap and uproot trees as it tracked to the west and north of the Sycamore Hills County Club. The tornado then damaged numerous trees at properties along Indian Boundary Road. The tornado crossed an open field before downing a dozen power poles along east 1200 road before dissipating to the northeast.
Barns and other farm outbuildings sustained minor damage from thunderstorm wind gusts at this location. This damage occurred about a quarter mile east of a tornado track.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2025Warnings in Illinois, March 2025
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: 1236551, 1236552, 1236553, 1236554, 1236556, 1236557, 1238932, 1238936, 1236558, 1236564, 1238938, 1238945, 1238942, 1236562, 1236570, 1236575, 1236583, 1238947, 1238950, 1238962, 1240175, 1238967, 1238969, 1238970, 1238973, 1238978, 1238980, 1238981, 1240112, 1238984, 1240113, 1240116, 1240106, 1240107, 1240108, 1240109, 1240117, 1240125, 1240122, 1240119, and more.