During the early morning of March 11th, a QLCS pushed through portions of southern Illinois. The QLCS caused thunderstorm wind damage as it passed and produced 4 tornadoes.
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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 LSX wrote it up.
During the early morning of March 11th, a QLCS pushed through portions of southern Illinois. The QLCS caused thunderstorm wind damage as it passed and produced 4 tornadoes.
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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 10, 11:37 PM CST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Saint Louis MO 1237 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Severe thunderstorms are possible, mainly late this afternoon and evening across northeastern MO/west-central IL. The threat for severe storms continues overnight across much of the area, however it is not as likely. - Locally heavy rainfall is also possible overnight tonight into Wednesday morning. && .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Wednesday Night) Issued at 152 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026 The main forecast concern remains to be the threat for severe weather this afternoon through early Wednesday morning. Latest surface analysis shows low pressure located across northwestern Missouri with a stalled boundary extending northeast over Illinois into Indiana. A dry line also currently exists southwest from the low pressure towards south/ central Kansas. At 250 mb, the northern jet streak is located across the Dakotas with a southern stream closed low starting to shear out with fragments of PV ejecting northeast. Some southern jet stream enhancement is forecast, with weak coupling of the RRQ/ LFQ possible near Iowa/ Illinois. Convective initiation is forecast to occur between 4 PM and 7 PM over Illinois, or just northeast of the CWA. This convection will then likely move northeast through the afternoon into evening. Latest visible satellite trends shows most of the agitated CU field remaining northeast of the region with the surface boundary just south of Chicago. There is currently widespread 1500 to 2500 J/kg of ML CAPE across the region (supported by the 18z Missouri sounding), but strong capping remains in place. Bulk shear values are around 50 kt as well with steep lapse rates and amble instability in the hail growth region. If storms are able to develop, supercells with large to very large hail remain possible. A second round of convection is also forecast to develop over south/ central Kansas along the dry line. Mean layer wind and bulk shear vectors are southwest to west or oblique to the dry line. However, a cold front will start to sag south tonight with the mean wind and bulk shear vectors being boundary parallel. This would favor upscale growth of convection into a potential MCS. This convection will then move northeast along the frontal boundary. A strong southwest LLJ will also favor training or back building convection as new cells propagate into the LLJ. This means heavy rainfall with isolated flash flooding are possible. Another concern with these storms will be damaging wind gusts and a tornado or two. Further south, or away from the boundary, discrete cells with all hazards possible. The main limiting factor further south will be the capping with little in the way of forcing for ascent. BAH && .LONG TERM... (Thursday through Next Tuesday) Issued at 152 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026 Surface high pressure will be located across southeast Texas Thursday morning with near seasonable temperatures forecast for Thursday and Friday. Another shortwave will then dive southeast out of Canada Thursday evening with surface low pressure tracking from Minnesota to Wisconsin with a cold front approaching from the northwest. Global ensembles are in fairly good with the cold front crossing the area late Friday morning into afternoon with no precipitation expected. The IQR in temperature spread is around 8 degrees for Friday which is rather impressive this far out. No precipitation is expected with the Friday frontal passage. Saturday into Sunday, the long wave pattern will modulate with the trough axis centering over the central plains of the United States with surface cyclogenesis occurring near the Kansas/ Oklahoma region and then ejecting northeast. A surface cold front will then sweep across the region Sunday afternoon into evening with much colder temperatures for the beginning of next work week. Global ensemble guidance is in very good agreement of below temperatures forecast for Monday and Tuesday, but confidence is low on the timing of the frontal passage on Sunday. The IQR for KSTL high temperatures on Sunday is 20 degrees. This frontal passage will bring a chance of precipitation and even the potential for some snow as the region will be on the divergent side of a highly amplified trough axis and PWATs near 1". Confidence on precipitation amounts and type is low. The GEFS continues to advertise the wettest and coldest set of solutions with accumulating snowfall possible Sunday into Monday. However, the EPS and CMC remains much drier and slightly warmer. Guidance continues to advertise teens and 20s Monday morning and highs struggling to reach the mid to upper 30s Monday afternoon. BAH && .AVIATION... (For the 06z TAFs through 06z Wednesday Night) Issued at 1224 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026 Thunderstorms will affect UIN through 07Z, COU and JEF through 09Z, and the St. Louis area terminals through 11Z with showers lingering at each of these airports for 3-6 hours thereafter. The heavier showers and thunderstorms will bring the potential for hail and wind gusts to 35 knots. There will also be MVFR ceilings with heights between 1500-2500 feet through 21-23Z before conditions turn VFR. Southwest winds will turn northwest behind a cold front at UIN at 11Z, at COU/JEF at 12Z, and the St. Louis areaterminals at 14Z. Winds will gust in the 25 to 30 knot range outside of thunderstorms. Britt && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...None. IL...None. && WFO LSX
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service St Louis MO 150 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026 ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027- 034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-111900- Greene IL-Macoupin IL-Montgomery IL-Bond IL-Fayette IL-Clinton IL- Marion IL-Washington IL-Randolph IL-Adams IL-Brown IL-Pike IL- Calhoun IL-Jersey IL-Madison IL-Saint Clair IL-Monroe IL-Knox MO- Lewis MO-Shelby MO-Marion MO-Monroe MO-Ralls MO-Pike MO-Boone MO- Audrain MO-Moniteau MO-Cole MO-Osage MO-Callaway MO-Montgomery MO- Lincoln MO-Gasconade MO-Warren MO-Saint Charles MO-Franklin MO- Saint Louis MO-Saint Louis City MO-Jefferson MO-Crawford MO- Washington MO-Saint Francois MO-Sainte Genevieve MO-Iron MO- Madison MO-Reynolds MO- 150 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of eastern and central Missouri as well as west central and southwest Illinois. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. There is a chance of thunderstorms this evening through tonight. A few thunderstorms could be severe, mainly late this afternoon and evening evening across northeastern Missouri and west-central Illinois. Locally heavy rainfall is also possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. The chance for thunderstorms continues on Wednesday, mainly in the morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. BAH
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:22 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A brief tornado was confirmed both with radar data and detailed photographs of damage. This tornado cause significant roof damage to a local restaurant, along with other miscellaneous to a local hotel and residence.
A brief tornado moved through the communities of Moro and Midway, IL early in the morning of March 11, 2026. This tornado produced wind damage indicative of maximum wind speeds of approximately 110 miles per hour. Damage to trees, homes, and grain bins was observed. One injury was also reported.
A 67 mph wind gust was reported at Alton Regional Airport.
A brief tornado touched down just west of I-55 in Madison County where it caused power poles to lean askew. The tornado then headed northeast where it caused minor roof damage to a home.
Thunderstorm winds caused significant damage to a solar farm and shipping crates and left 2000 households without power.
The tornado continued into Macoupin County from Madison County where it uprooted trees along Double Arch Road before dissipating.
Thunderstorm winds damaged an old barn, a car, and a sheet metal roof from an outbuilding.
Thunderstorm winds caused snapped softwood trees and a large hardwood tree. A power pole was also snapped, and a machine shed incurred significant damage.
Thunderstorm winds downed 4 inch diameter limbs from a healthy tree.
Thunderstorm winds downed a tree which blocked Baldwin Road near New Athens. They also downed power lines and damaged a home to an unknown degree.
A brief tornado touched down near Griebel Acres Road where it snapped tree trunks. The tornado travelled northeast where it completed destroyed a sheet metal outbuilding and caused major roof damage to a large farm outbuilding. It caused damage to an additional barn and home before dissipating near Dintelmann Road.
Thunderstorm winds downed a tree limb which damaged a mobile home. They also broke 2 power poles near the intersection of Route 154 and Plum Creek Road.
Thunderstorm winds knocked a tree down onto County Highway 6 east of Venedy.
A 66 mph wind gust was measured at Salem Leckrone Airport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2026Warnings in Illinois, March 2026
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: 1325472, 1325474, 1325485, 1325479, 1325488, 1325481, 1325490, 1325491, 1325497, 1325499, 1325483, 1325501, 1325502, 1325503.