Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2026

EF0 tornado, Champaign County, Illinois, April 17, 2026

This EF0 tornado ran 0.9 miles across Champaign County on April 17, 2026, touching down at 9:51 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.

Preliminary. This is NWS ILX's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Bondville Tornado. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The survey

Rating, as surveyed
EF0, preliminary
Date
April 17, 2026
Touchdown
9:51 PM CDT (02:51 UTC)
Path length
0.9 miles (1.4 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Champaign County
Touchdown point
40.111, -88.408
Lift-off point
40.113, -88.392
Highest wind the damage implies
85 mph
Surveyed by
NWS ILX
The office's name for it
Bondville Tornado
Survey last edited
April 23, 2026
Record number
None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.

What the survey found

The tornado touched down just south of Rte 10 and damaged a power pole and quickly moved east-northeast. It did minor tree damage before dissipating.

Written by NWS ILX in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.

The damage survey

8 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS ILX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 100 mph.

  • 90 ft concrete grain silo...empty.
  • Wall panel pushed out. Doors on east side bowed out.
  • Empty 90 ft concrete grain silo completely collapsed.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

The warnings

9 minutes of warning. NWS ILX issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:42 UTC, 9 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:30 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 01:31 UTC and running to 03:45 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
23:00 UTC09:00 UTCFlood WatchILX
01:31 UTC03:45 UTCTornado WatchILX
02:37 UTC03:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILX
02:42 UTC03:30 UTCTornado WarningILX
02:46 UTC03:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILX
03:15 UTC03:34 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILX

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 00:59 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z

2.9 hours before the tornado, 18 km from the path. April 18, 2026.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2026-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1309 joules per kilogram, CIN -103, lifted condensation level 1221 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2026-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 212 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 51 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1309 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-103 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2371 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1221 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
212 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
264 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
8.2
0-3 km lapse rate
7.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 12:00Z

9.1 hours after it, 18 km from the path. April 18, 2026.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2026-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -107253, lifted condensation level 1118 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2026-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -20 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 71 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-107253 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1118 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
71 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Champaign - Willard (CMI), 14 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:40 UTC170° 17 kt241006.1
00:45 UTC170° 19 kt1006.1
00:50 UTC170° 18 kt1006.1
00:53 UTC7563170° 18 kt1006.1
00:55 UTC170° 19 kt1006.1
01:00 UTC170° 18 kt1006.4
01:05 UTC170° 17 kt1006.4
01:10 UTC170° 16 kt1006.4
01:15 UTC180° 15 kt1006.8
01:20 UTC180° 15 kt1006.8
01:25 UTC180° 15 kt1007.1
01:30 UTC180° 16 kt211007.1
01:35 UTC180° 17 kt241007.1
01:40 UTC180° 16 kt231007.5
01:45 UTC180° 16 kt1007.5
01:50 UTC180° 17 kt241007.5
01:53 UTC7463180° 18 kt1007.5
01:55 UTC 231007.5
02:00 UTC180° 19 kt1007.5
02:05 UTC 1007.5
02:10 UTC180° 18 kt1007.5
02:15 UTC170° 18 kt241007.5
02:20 UTC170° 18 kt1007.1
02:25 UTC180° 18 kt1007.1
02:30 UTC 231007.5
02:35 UTC 1007.5
02:40 UTC 17 kt1007.5
02:45 UTC 18 kt1007.5
02:50 UTC 1007.1
02:53 UTC7363180° 16 kt1007.1
02:55 UTC 1007.1
03:00 UTC 491009.1
03:04 UTC6560250° 35 kt511008.8+RA SQ
03:05 UTC 361008.8+RA BR SQ
03:07 UTC6160280° 24 kt511008.8+RA BR SQ
03:10 UTC 361009.1+RA BR
03:15 UTC 241009.1+RA BR
03:17 UTC6160270° 18 kt371009.1+RA BR
03:20 UTC260° 17 kt1009.8+RA BR
03:23 UTC6160260° 15 kt251009.8VCTS +RA BR
03:25 UTC260° 13 kt1009.8+RA BR
03:30 UTC260° 11 kt1009.5+RA BR
03:32 UTC6160260° 12 kt1009.5VCTS +RA BR
03:35 UTC260° 11 kt1009.5RA BR
03:40 UTC6160260° 12 kt1009.5RA BR
03:40 UTC250° 12 kt1009.5RA BR
03:45 UTC250° 11 kt1009.5RA BR
03:50 UTC250° 9 kt1009.1RA BR
03:53 UTC6160270° 8 kt1008.8-RA BR
03:55 UTC280° 10 kt1008.8-RA BR
04:00 UTC250° 9 kt1008.8-RA
04:05 UTC240° 6 kt1008.8-RA
04:10 UTC260° 8 kt1008.5-RA
04:15 UTC240° 7 kt1008.5-RA
04:20 UTC240° 5 kt1008.1-RA
04:25 UTC240° 7 kt1008.5-RA
04:30 UTC280° 6 kt1007.8-RA
04:35 UTC250° 5 kt1007.8-RA

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:52 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
02:04 UTCTSTM WND GST 66Central Illinois AirporMclean, IL
02:05 UTCTSTM WND DMGDownsMclean, ILPower poles were blown down.
02:06 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 S KenneyDe Witt, IL[Delayed Report] - Two power poles down on Kenney Road. Possible tornado, NWS damage survey will be necessary in this area. Time estimated by radar.
02:06 UTCTSTM WND DMGDownsMclean, ILA home was heavily damaged.
02:09 UTCTORNADORowellDe Witt, ILEF1, max wind speed 100 mph, path length 7.0 mi. This tornado touched down near the intersection of 1500 North Rd and 550 East Rd, where it damaged two farm out buildings and damaged a tree. As it moved east, it damaged
02:16 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Ene MaroaDe Witt, IL[Delayed Report] - Structural damage to a large outbuilding.
02:18 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nne ColfaxMclean, ILTwo barns were destroyed.
02:19 UTCTORNADO4 E Pleasant HillMclean, ILEF1, path length 7.9 miles, peak wind speed 90 mph. The tornado began in rural northeast McLean County about 4 miles northwest of Colfax, damaging trees and power poles and power lines. The tornado crossed into Livingsto
02:24 UTCTORNADO1 W SaybrookMclean, ILEF0, peak wind speed 85 mph, path length 3.2 miles. Tracked ENE across western and northern portions of Saybrook. A narrow, one block damage path consisted of several downed trees and multiple broken large tree limbs. Th
02:26 UTCTSTM WND DMGSaybrookMclean, IL[Delayed Report] - Multiple trees down in Saybrook, including one completely uprooted resulting in damage to vehicle. Another tree was snapped in half onto a garage. Possible tornado, NWS damage survey will be necessary
02:28 UTCTSTM WND DMGCropseyMclean, ILPower line down.
02:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGGibson CityFord, ILStructure damage was reported around parts of Gibson City, including one business which had large portions of metal siding ripped off. Tree damage was also reported in town. Time estimated using radar.
02:32 UTCTORNADO1 W Gibson CityFord, ILAn NWS storm survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 90 mph, path length of 4.9 miles, and maximum width of around 100 yards impacted Gibson City. The tornado caused roofing damage to several buildings and do
02:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Sw LodgePiatt, IL[Delayed Report] - Farm outbuilding destroyed. Possible tornado.
02:38 UTCTORNADO3 Sse De LandPiatt, ILEF1, peak wind speed 100 mph, path length 2.36 mi. The tornado set down west of a farmstead and collapsed an empty, 90 ft concrete grain silo. It also blew out the east side doors of a machine building and two north wall
02:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Sw LodgePiatt, IL
02:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Sw White HeathPiatt, ILPower pole down.
02:42 UTCTSTM WND GST 58Decatur AirportMacon, IL
02:46 UTCTORNADO5 Wnw LodaFord, ILAn NWS storm survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado with peak winds near 95 mph, path length of 9.3 miles, and maximum width of around 150 yards moved from eastern Ford County into southwestern Iroquois County. The tornado dam
02:49 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nnw PaxtonFord, ILReport of an eight inch diameter tree branch broken off of a tree near the intersection of Oak St and American St in Paxton. Time estimated by radar.
02:49 UTCTSTM WND DMGLodaIroquois, ILGrain bins were destroyed in Loda. Exact location unknown. Time estimated using radar.
02:51 UTCTORNADO1 Ene SeymourChampaign, ILEF0, max wind speed 85 mph, path length 0.88 mi. The tornado touched down just south of Rt 10 and damaged a power pole and quickly moved east-northeast. It did minor tree damage before dissipating.
02:51 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Wsw BuckleyIroquois, ILReport of semi trucks blown over on I-57 near mile marker 270 southwest of Buckley. Time estimated using radar.
02:52 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Ene SeymourChampaign, ILA power pole was leaning over near Route 47 just east of Seymour.
03:03 UTCTSTM WND DMGUrbanaChampaign, ILA large tree was snapped on Broadway Avenue.
03:04 UTCTSTM WND GST 59Willard AirportChampaign, IL

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 17, 2026

88 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 171:46 PM CDTEF0Mower, MN2.8110
April 171:55 PM CDTEF0Dodge, MN5.3150
April 172:19 PM CDTEF2Olmsted, MN9.72502
April 172:32 PM CDTUnratedButler, IA1.610
April 172:33 PM CDTEF1Olmsted, MN12.4200
April 172:47 PM CDTEF1Jo Daviess, IL3.7100
April 172:47 PM CDTEF2Olmsted, MN7.7200
April 172:47 PM CDTEF0Howard, IA4.2601
April 173:08 PM CDTUnratedAtchison, KS0.00
April 173:26 PM CDTEF3Buffalo, WI10.3300
April 173:36 PM CDTEF2Stephenson, IL12.51,250
April 174:07 PM CDTEF1Osage, KS1.175
April 174:09 PM CDTEF1Trempealeau, WI5.690
April 174:17 PM CDTUnratedClayton, IA0.620
April 174:20 PM CDTEF1Trempealeau, WI4.6130
April 174:35 PM CDTUnratedWinnebago, IL0.750
April 174:44 PM CDTEF1Marathon, WI4.3100
April 174:46 PM CDTEF3Marathon, WI13.5600$8,000
April 174:52 PM CDTEF1Jackson, WI2.3150
April 174:57 PM CDTEF1Winnebago, IL5.0400
April 175:02 PM CDTEF1Washington, IA5.3100
April 175:19 PM CDTEF1Cass, MO4.80
April 176:02 PM CDTEF1Rock, WI1.975
April 176:05 PM CDTEF1Rock, WI2.1100
April 176:15 PM CDTEF1Rock, WI4.475
April 176:39 PM CDTEF1Walworth, WI3.075
April 176:40 PM CDTEF0Mercer, IL0.950
April 176:43 PM CDTEF1Walworth, WI3.175
April 176:55 PM CDTEF1Hancock, IL5.7150
April 176:55 PM CDTEF0Kay, OK5.1100
April 177:03 PM CDTEF1Winnebago, IL11.6350
April 177:03 PM CDTEF1Kay, OK14.41,200
April 177:04 PM CDTEF1Henry, IL0.350
April 177:11 PM CDTEF1Kay, OK0.975
April 177:12 PM CDTEF1Kay, OK0.375
April 177:13 PM CDTEF1Hancock, IL6.075
April 177:15 PM CDTEF1Knox, IL10.3800
April 177:19 PM CDTEF1Benton, MO5.90
April 177:22 PM CDTEF0Walworth, WI1.950
April 177:23 PM CDTEF0Benton, MO0.4200
April 177:25 PM CDTEF1Benton, MO1.6150
April 177:29 PM CDTEF2McDonough, IL12.8200$90
April 177:32 PM CDTEF0Racine, WI1.450
April 177:40 PM CDTEF2Fulton, IL18.1500$500
April 177:44 PM CDTEF0Morgan, MO1.20
April 177:46 PM CDTEF1Morgan, MO7.2300
April 177:50 PM CDTEF1Schuyler, IL36.71,200
April 177:52 PM CDTEF0Waukesha, WI0.670
April 177:55 PM CDTEF0Racine, WI3.750
April 177:56 PM CDTEF1Racine, WI5.275
April 177:59 PM CDTEF0Morgan, MO1.3150
April 178:08 PM CDTEF0Cole, MO3.550
April 178:11 PM CDTEF1Mason, IL15.4200
April 178:14 PM CDTEF1Bureau, IL17.6300
April 178:22 PM CDTEF1Tazewell, IL6.3100
April 178:26 PM CDTEF1Menard, IL5.9300
April 178:27 PM CDTEF1Tazewell, IL2.3500
April 178:27 PM CDTEF1Tazewell, IL2.370$50
April 178:29 PM CDTEF1Tazewell, IL4.61,100
April 178:31 PM CDTEF0Callaway, MO2.350

All 89 of them

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.

Sources

NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.