Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2026
EF1 tornado, Knox and Peoria counties, Illinois, April 2, 2026
This EF1 tornado ran 6.2 miles across Knox and Peoria counties on April 2, 2026, touching down at 6:18 PM CDT and reaching 250 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $250 of property damage.
Preliminary. This is NWS ILX's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Laura 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.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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
- EF1, preliminary
- Date
- April 2, 2026
- Touchdown
- 6:18 PM CDT (23:18 UTC)
- Lifted
- 6:26 PM CDT (23:26 UTC)
- On the ground
- 8 minutes
- Path length
- 6.2 miles (10.0 km)
- Path width
- 250 yards (229 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $250
- Counties
- Knox and Peoria counties
- Touchdown point
- 40.901, -89.987
- Lift-off point
- 40.911, -89.870
- Highest wind the damage implies
- 110 mph
- Surveyed by
- NWS ILX
- The office's name for it
- Laura Tornado
- Survey last edited
- April 4, 2026
- Record number
- None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.
What the survey found
The tornado touched down about 2 miles southeast of Williamsfield just west of the Knox County line, where it destroyed an outbuilding. It crossed into Peoria County and strengthened to 110 mph winds as it snapped off 7 large power poles along State Route 78 near the intersection with Hwy 150. The tornado progressed eastward producing tree damage near N Brimfield Rd and N Maher Rd before dissipating.
Written by NWS ILX in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.
The damage survey
39 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 110 mph.
- 7 poles snapped off along Elmore Rd near the intersection with N Moore Rd
- Northern extent of poles 7 poles snapped off.
- Tree pushed over, looking east from the road
- Most of it cleaned up already
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
The warnings
2 minutes of warning. NWS ILX issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:16 UTC, 2 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:45 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 18:43 UTC and running to 01:28 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:00 UTC | 23:25 UTC | Wind Advisory | ILX |
| 18:43 UTC | 01:28 UTC | Tornado Watch | ILX |
| 22:19 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | ILX |
| 22:47 UTC | 23:03 UTC | Tornado Warning | ILX |
| 23:00 UTC | 23:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX |
| 23:16 UTC | 23:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | ILX |
| 23:31 UTC | 23:48 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX |
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 19:56 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.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Apr 2, 11:40 AM CDT, 6 hours 38 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- This afternoon and evening, strong winds pose a double threat. Non-thunderstorm gusts are expected to reach 40-50 mph. Furthermore, thunderstorm wind gusts could be stronger, ranging from 55 to 75 mph. Given the recently saturated soils, these high winds will not only create difficulties for high- profile vehicles but also present a risk of uprooted trees.
- In addition to the damaging wind concerns, there remains a localized threat for tornadoes and large hail through this evening as a cold front pushes through the region.
- Another round of severe weather and potential flooding is expected Friday afternoon and evening. Rainfall totals between Friday and Saturday have a medium-high probability (50-70%) of exceeding 1 inch areawide.
- Overnight lows are likely (50-80% chance) to fall into the mid 30s or lower each morning Sunday through Tuesday. Action may be needed to protect newly- emerged, tender vegetation.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 2, 11:40 AM CDT, 6 hours 38 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lincoln IL 1140 AM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - This afternoon and evening, strong winds pose a double threat. Non-thunderstorm gusts are expected to reach 40-50 mph. Furthermore, thunderstorm wind gusts could be stronger, ranging from 55 to 75 mph. Given the recently saturated soils, these high winds will not only create difficulties for high- profile vehicles but also present a risk of uprooted trees. - In addition to the damaging wind concerns, there remains a localized threat for tornadoes and large hail through this evening as a cold front pushes through the region. - Another round of severe weather and potential flooding is expected Friday afternoon and evening. Rainfall totals between Friday and Saturday have a medium-high probability (50-70%) of exceeding 1 inch areawide. - Overnight lows are likely (50-80% chance) to fall into the mid 30s or lower each morning Sunday through Tuesday. Action may be needed to protect newly- emerged, tender vegetation. && .DISCUSSION...(through next Wednesday) Issued at 1133 AM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026 A quick glance at the mid-level water vapor imagery depicts our compact, negatively-tilted shortwave trough lifting across the Missouri Valley with its attendant surface low positioned over central Iowa. Scattered, elevated morning convection has been observed out ahead of the cold front within a broad warm sector and beneath strong ascent characterized by an upper-level difluent zone and strong kinematic profile. High-resolution model guidance consistently predicts widespread thunderstorms developing across west-central Illinois early this afternoon. The environment, characterized by surface temperatures in the low 70s and dewpoints in the low 60s, is expected to quickly destabilize due to low-level jet (LLJ) moisture transport, synoptic lift, and adiabatic cooling aloft. With MLCAPE values ranging from 500-1500 J/kg and deep-layer shear between 40-50 kts, supercells and multicell clusters are anticipated this afternoon and evening as a pre-frontal trough advances from the west. The robust low-level wind field, highlighted by a 60 kt LLJ core veering ahead of the cold front, will promote rapidly rotating updrafts. This potential is well- supported by 0-3 km Storm Relative Helicity (SRH) values exceeding 300 m2/s2 and a pronounced, humped low-level hodograph. While the parameter space clearly supports a tornado threat this afternoon through early evening across central Illinois, the uncapped warm sector will likely hinder supercells from staying discrete. The reality may be a much messier storm-scale environment with numerous mergers, nudgers, and boundary interactions. Aside from the tornado risk, a significant wind threat also exists given the top-shelf kinematic field in place. The momentum transfer augmented by precip-loading within any storm this afternoon and evening has the potential to put down 60 mph gusts, with the upshot being 75 mph gusts within any bowing segments or RFD surges that develop. The hail risk might be highest later this evening behind the pre-frontal trough and immediately along the cold front as a mid-level cold pocket overtakes the front and increases CAPEs through the hail growth zone. The current outlook supports hail up to the size of golf balls. Storms will exit the area late this evening, moving from northwest to southeast, as the cold front traverses central Illinois and becomes stationary. This stalled front will quickly retreat northward on Friday as a warm front, ahead of a significant upper-level trough that will track across the Missouri Valley toward the Upper-Mississippi Valley. This approaching disturbance and its associated surface low will set the stage for another round of nocturnal convection in central Illinois on Friday evening, likely taking the form of a decaying squall line pushing into west-central Illinois overnight. While a damaging wind risk is possible upon the squall lines arrival, the primary concern is the potential for flooding. Despite diminishing instability overnight, strong isentropic ascent preceding the front and weak low-pressure development along the front are expected to produce a long-duration rainfall event through Saturday morning. With the ground already saturated from recent heavy rains, widespread urban and small stream flooding, and potentially localized flash flooding, is anticipated by Saturday morning. Recent NBM guidance supports a medium-high probability (50-70%) of exceeding 1” during the Friday-Saturday timeframe. A transition to a drier and seasonably cool pattern is expected next week as elongated surface high pressure establishes itself over the central US. Current NBM guidance consistently forecasts daily high temperatures in the 50s from Sunday through Tuesday, with overnight lows in the 30s, raising renewed concerns for frost and freeze given the start of the growing season. Temperatures are then anticipated to rebound to warmer levels by the middle of next week as the high pressure system moves out and a southerly flow returns across the Plains and Midwest. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 1133 AM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026 A warm front lifting through the area has brought an end to LIFR ceilings, IFR/MVFR visibilities, while scattered showers continue through late morning. During the afternoon, instability will increase favoring a few thunderstorms, with the highest confidence between 18z-21z when a several models are showing scattered storms developing over the regional terminals. A second wave of thunderstorms may then develop along a cold front later this evening from 23z-05z, but confidence is lower during this timeframe and has otherwise been covered with a PROB30 mention in the TAFs. Besides storms, south winds will remain quite strong, especially from 18z-00z when gusts may reach 40 kt at times. Those winds will ease and shift to a more westerly direction behind the front overnight, eventually veering all the way back around to the SE/S by late in this TAF period. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 7 PM CDT this evening for ILZ027>031-036- 037-040-041-047>050. Wind Advisory until 7 PM CDT this evening for ILZ038-042>046- 051>057-061>063-066>068-071>073. && KEY MESSAGES...MJA DISCUSSION...MJA AVIATION...MJA
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 2, 3:05 PM CDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lincoln IL 305 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>043-047>053-031100- Knox-Stark-Peoria-Marshall-Woodford-Fulton-Tazewell-McLean-Schuyler- Mason-Logan-De Witt-Cass-Menard-Scott-Morgan-Sangamon-Christian- Macon- 305 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Illinois and west central Illinois. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Scattered thunderstorms are expected through the first half of the evening, with the highest threat of severe weather near and west of the Illinois River. Damaging winds, potentially as high as 75 mph, will be the primary threat, though large hail and a few tornadoes are also possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Another round of severe storms is forecast Friday night into the overnight hours, with all hazards possible. Minor flooding may develop along portions of the Illinois River early next week, mainly from Havana to Beardstown. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be needed until 9 pm. Expected storm motion is toward the northeast, around 50 mph. ILZ044>046-054>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-031100- Piatt-Champaign-Vermilion-Moultrie-Douglas-Coles-Edgar-Shelby- Cumberland-Clark-Effingham-Jasper-Crawford-Clay-Richland-Lawrence- 305 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Illinois and southeast Illinois. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Periods of thunderstorms are expected through the evening, lingering past midnight south of I-70. Some of the storms will be severe. Damaging winds, potentially as high as 60 to 70 mph, will be the primary threat, though there is also a low threat of tornadoes. Outside of the storms, strong south winds with gusts 40 to 50 mph will continue into early evening. This could cause difficult driving conditions for high profile vehicles, especially on east west oriented roadways. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Thunderstorms are expected to develop again by late afternoon Friday, and continue into the first part of Saturday. Some of the storms may be strong after midnight Friday night. Minor flooding is possible along the Wabash River, beginning this weekend. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed through this evening. Expected storm motion is toward the northeast, around 50 mph. Geelhart
In the hours before
Local storm report, Apr 2, 3:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
342 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1200 PM Rain Henry 41.11N 89.36W
04/02/2026 M1.08 Inch Marshall IL Public
&&Local storm report, Apr 2, 4:02 PM CDT, 2 hours 16 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
402 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM Rain 1 W Galesburg 40.95N 90.39W
04/02/2026 M1.28 Inch Knox IL CO-OP Observer
CO-OP Observer station GBGI2 Galesburg.
0355 PM Rain Galesburg Airport 40.93N 90.43W
04/02/2026 M1.11 Inch Knox IL AWOS
AWOS station KGBG Galesburg Arpt.
0700 AM Rain 3 NNW Sparland 41.08N 89.47W
04/02/2026 M1.09 Inch Marshall IL Cocorahs
Cocorahs station IL-MH-4 Sparland 3.4 NNW.
0700 AM Rain 1 NW Knoxville 40.91N 90.29W
04/02/2026 M1.03 Inch Knox IL Cocorahs
Cocorahs station IL-KX-9 Knoxville 0.7 NW.
&&Local storm report, Apr 2, 4:49 PM CDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
449 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0423 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 1 NW Lincoln 40.16N 89.37W
04/02/2026 M52 MPH Logan IL Public
&&Local storm report, Apr 2, 5:44 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
544 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0532 PM Funnel Cloud Galesburg 40.95N 90.37W
04/02/2026 Knox IL Fire Dept/Rescue
Funnel reported on south side of Galesburg.
&&
ShimonLocal storm report, Apr 2, 5:48 PM CDT, 30 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
548 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0535 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Galesburg 40.95N 90.37W
04/02/2026 M49 MPH Knox IL ASOS
&&
ShimonLocal storm report, Apr 2, 5:51 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
551 PM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0532 PM Funnel Cloud Galesburg 40.94N 90.37W
04/02/2026 Knox IL Trained Spotter
Reported outside of the Public Safety
Building at 150 S Broad Street in Galesburg.
&&
ShimonThe 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.
Davenport, (KDVN), 00:00Z
0.7 hours after it, 93 km from the path. April 3, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 21 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -76 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 23 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1092 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -14 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 40 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.7 K/km
The surface observations
Peoria (PIA), 34 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:20 UTC | 23 | 1003.4 | ||||
| 21:25 UTC | 29 | 1003.4 | ||||
| 21:30 UTC | 23 kt | 1003.4 | ||||
| 21:35 UTC | 29 | 1003.4 | ||||
| 21:40 UTC | 19 kt | 26 | 1003 | |||
| 21:45 UTC | 31 | 1003 | ||||
| 21:50 UTC | 1003 | |||||
| 21:54 UTC | 73 | 62 | 190° 21 kt | 35 | 1002.7 | |
| 21:55 UTC | 23 kt | 30 | 1002.7 | |||
| 22:00 UTC | 28 | 1002.7 | ||||
| 22:05 UTC | 23 kt | 32 | 1002.7 | |||
| 22:10 UTC | 25 | 1002.7 | ||||
| 22:15 UTC | 31 | 1002.7 | ||||
| 22:20 UTC | 20 kt | 27 | 1002.7 | |||
| 22:25 UTC | 28 | 1002.7 | ||||
| 22:30 UTC | 29 | 1002.4 | ||||
| 22:35 UTC | 28 | 1002.7 | ||||
| 22:40 UTC | 21 kt | 29 | 1002.7 | |||
| 22:45 UTC | 29 | 1002.4 | ||||
| 22:50 UTC | 20 kt | 25 | 1002.7 | |||
| 22:54 UTC | 72 | 63 | 190° 19 kt | 30 | 1002.4 | |
| 22:55 UTC | 26 | 1002.4 | ||||
| 23:00 UTC | 180° 21 kt | 31 | 1002.4 | |||
| 23:05 UTC | 20 kt | 25 | 1002.4 | |||
| 23:10 UTC | 20 kt | 27 | 1002.4 | |||
| 23:15 UTC | 34 | 1002.4 | ||||
| 23:20 UTC | 26 | 1002.4 | ||||
| 23:25 UTC | 190° 22 kt | 29 | 1002.7 | |||
| 23:30 UTC | 25 | 1002.7 | ||||
| 23:35 UTC | 1002.7 | |||||
| 23:40 UTC | 30 | 1002.4 | ||||
| 23:45 UTC | 19 kt | 30 | 1002.7 | |||
| 23:50 UTC | 22 kt | 35 | 1002.4 | |||
| 23:54 UTC | 70 | 62 | 190° 20 kt | 35 | 1002.4 | |
| 23:55 UTC | 25 | 1002.4 | ||||
| 00:00 UTC | 31 | 1002 | ||||
| 00:05 UTC | 70 | 62 | 190° 23 kt | 34 | 1002.4 | VCTS |
| 00:05 UTC | 23 kt | 30 | 1002.4 | |||
| 00:10 UTC | 33 | 1002.4 | ||||
| 00:15 UTC | 38 | 1002.7 | ||||
| 00:18 UTC | 70 | 62 | 190° 19 kt | 38 | 1002.7 | TS |
| 00:20 UTC | 190° 21 kt | 28 | 1002.7 | |||
| 00:25 UTC | 1003 | RA | ||||
| 00:30 UTC | 25 | 1004.1 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:35 UTC | 230° 13 kt | 1004.1 | +RA BR | |||
| 00:38 UTC | 67 | 64 | 220° 11 kt | 28 | 1003.7 | -TSRA BR |
| 00:40 UTC | 22 kt | 32 | 1003.7 | -RA BR | ||
| 00:45 UTC | 25 | 1003.7 | -RA | |||
| 00:46 UTC | 67 | 62 | 220° 19 kt | 35 | 1003.7 | -TSRA |
| 00:50 UTC | 1003.7 | |||||
| 00:54 UTC | 66 | 61 | 210° 15 kt | 27 | 1003.7 | TS |
| 00:55 UTC | 1003.7 | |||||
| 01:00 UTC | 22 | 1003.7 | ||||
| 01:01 UTC | 67 | 62 | 200° 18 kt | 23 | 1003.7 | VCTS |
| 01:05 UTC | 22 | 1003.7 | ||||
| 01:08 UTC | 68 | 62 | 200° 15 kt | 1003.7 | ||
| 01:10 UTC | 19 | 1003.7 | ||||
| 01:15 UTC | 28 | 1003.7 | -RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:17 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:55 UTC | RAIN 1.11 | Galesburg Airport | Knox, IL | AWOS station KGBG Galesburg Arpt. |
| 22:25 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Sw Galesburg | Knox, IL | The tornado touched down about 4 miles southwest of Galesburg where it damaged a few trees before heading northeast toward Galesburg. The tornado did primarily tree damage as it crossed Galesburg and went into East Gales |
| 22:31 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 S Galesburg | Knox, IL | Large tree branches broken near south end of BNSF Railway yard. |
| 22:32 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Galesburg | Knox, IL | Funnel reported on south side of Galesburg. |
| 22:32 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Galesburg | Knox, IL | Reported outside of the Public Safety Building at 150 S Broad Street in Galesburg. |
| 22:35 UTC | TSTM WND GST 49 | Galesburg | Knox, IL | |
| 22:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ene Knoxville | Knox, IL | Old tree snapped in middle of I-74 exit 54 ramp loop. |
| 23:18 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Se Williamsfield | Knox, IL | The tornado touched down about 2 miles southeast of Williamsfield just west of the Knox County line, where it destroyed an outbuilding. It crossed into Peoria County and strengthened to 110 mph winds as it snapped off 7 |
| 23:18 UTC | TORNADO | 3 W Yates City | Knox, IL | The tornado developed near Douglas or about 3.5 miles west of Yates City along State Rt 8, where it damaged an outbuilding. It progressed to the northeast causing some damage to an outbuilding and numerous large trees al |
| 23:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 E Williamsfield | Peoria, IL | Tree branches snapped along Peoria and Knox County line. |
| 23:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Yates City | Knox, IL | Powerlines blown down in rural Yates City. |
| 23:23 UTC | TORNADO | 4 N Yates City | Knox, IL | The tornado touched down about 2 miles east of Elba Center where it did some tree damage just south of Knox Road 900 N. It progressed across I-74 near E Knox Rd where it damaged an outbuilding and some trees. It caused a |
| 23:24 UTC | TSTM WND GST 63 | Elmwood | Peoria, IL | |
| 23:28 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sw Laura | Peoria, IL | Powerpoles blown down on Elmore Road at highway 150. |
| 23:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Se Brimfield | Peoria, IL | Part of roof torn off a modular home. |
| 23:31 UTC | TSTM WND GST 65 | Farmington | Fulton, IL | 60 to 65 mph winds with pea to dime size hail covering the ground at Main and Vernon street. |
| 23:31 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Farmington | Fulton, IL | Pea to dime size hail covering ground at Main and Vernon street. |
| 23:33 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nne Elmwood | Peoria, IL | Powerlines blown down on Mc Clellan road. |
| 23:43 UTC | TSTM WND GST 50 | Farmington | Fulton, IL | |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Hennepin | Putnam, IL | 6- to 8-inch tree uprooted. Time estimated from radar. |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Hennepin | Putnam, IL | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 1 W Hennepin. Multiple trees, some 6- to 8-inches thick, snapped at the base or uprooted. Time estimated from radar. |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Hennepin | Putnam, IL | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 1 W Hennepin. Multiple trees, some 6- to 8-inches thick, snapped at the base or uprooted. Time estimated from radar. |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Hennepin | Putnam, IL | Home with garage door blown in and multiple 3-inch tree limbs snapped. Time estimated from radar. |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Hennepin | Putnam, IL | Home with garage door blown in and multiple 3-inch tree limbs snapped. Time estimated from radar. |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Hennepin | Putnam, IL | Home with garage door blown in. Multiple trees, some 6- to 8-inches thick, snapped at the base or uprooted. Time estimated from radar. |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND GST 61 | Hennepin | Putnam, IL | |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND GST 61 | Hennepin | Putnam, IL | |
| 00:03 UTC | TSTM WND GST 61 | Hennepin | Putnam, IL | |
| 00:08 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 S Dunlap | Peoria, IL | Powerlines blown down south of Dunlap. |
| 00:11 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 1 Nw Alta | Peoria, IL | |
| 00:27 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | Rome | Peoria, IL | 60 mph wind gust with 1 inch hail. |
| 00:27 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Chillicothe | Peoria, IL | Dime size hail in Chillicothe. |
| 00:27 UTC | HAIL 1 | Rome | Peoria, IL | Quarter size hail with 60 mph thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| 00:30 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | 5 W South Pekin | Tazewell, IL | Measured with photo. |
| 00:35 UTC | HAIL 1 | Mapleton | Peoria, IL | Quarter size hail off of highway 24 in Mapleton. Photo via social media. |
| 00:39 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Pekin | Tazewell, IL | Nickel size hail in Pekin relayed by Tazewell county emergency manager. |
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 2, 2026
12 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2 | 4:11 PM CDT | EF1 | Washington, IA | 3.9 | 100 | |||
| April 2 | 4:36 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, IA | 2.2 | 50 | |||
| April 2 | 5:25 PM CDT | EF1 | Clinton, IA | 18.1 | 250 | |||
| April 2 | 5:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, IL | 8.0 | 150 | $150 | ||
| April 2 | 6:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Carroll, IL | 0.3 | 75 | |||
| April 2 | 6:02 PM CDT | EF1 | Whiteside, IL | 4.1 | 75 | |||
| April 2 | 6:09 PM CDT | EF1 | Whiteside, IL | 6.6 | 250 | |||
| April 2 | 6:18 PM CDT | EF1 | Knox, IL | 5.7 | 100 | |||
| April 2 | 6:23 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, IL | 3.7 | 60 | |||
| April 2 | 6:24 PM CDT | EF1 | Ogle, IL | 0.6 | 80 | |||
| April 2 | 7:36 PM EDT | EF0 | Parke, IN | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| April 2 | 6:44 PM CDT | EF0 | Ogle, IL | 2.7 | 350 |
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.