June Weather Trivia for Illinois
June 1, 1999
Severe thunderstorms produced many tornadoes around central Illinois. The most intense tornado touched down in Montgomery County south of Farmersville, and moved into southwest Christian County. One person was killed, when a semi-trailer was overturned at a rest area on I-55. Tornadoes also touched down east of Pana, in Shelby County. Across eastern parts of the state, high winds up to 70 mph caused damage to trees, power lines, and some buildings. The Mattoon area also reported flooding from these storms, producing $3 million damage.
June 2, 1990
A two-day outbreak of tornadoes in the central U.S. produced 64 twisters, including 12 in Illinois. One tornado touched down in Shelby County near Westervelt and took an 8 mile path near Lake Shelbyville to northeast of Findlay, destroying 16 homes and damaging 60 others. Two violent tornados, rated as a "4" on a scale of 0 to 5, moved across mainly rural areas of southeast Illinois; a third traveled 94 miles across southeast Illinois and southwest Indiana, causing extensive damage. In Edgar County, one tornado damaged 6 buildings near Grandview, and another tornado began an 11 mile track near Horace, damaging several farms.
June 3, 1860
The "Great Tornado of the Northwest" (actually a complex family of tornadoes) moved from Iowa into northern Illinois. The greatest death toll of 124 people occurred in an area extending from near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Albany, Illinois (northeast of Moline). The death toll included 23 people on a raft, which was destroyed as the tornado moved across the Mississippi River.
June 3, 1887
A tornado or waterspout touched down on the Wabash River, about 5 miles north of its mouth with the Ohio River. Three people drowned when a boat was overturned at Old Shawneetown.
June 3, 1990
Strong winds to near 60 mph affected a large areas of northern and east central Illinois. A 13-mile stretch of Interstate 57 was closed from Arcola to Mattoon due to blowing dust. Some damage occurred to trees, power lines, and roofs.
June 4, 1814
A severe weather outbreak occurred across portions of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. A tornado destroyed or unroofed homes at the edge of Kaskaskia, along the Mississippi River. Tornadoes also occurred near the Wabash River, across Lawrence and Wabash Counties. The tornado in Wabash County was reportedly a mile wide, and crossed into Indiana. Damage from this tornado in forested areas was reportedly still visible in 1876. Further south, a tornado crossing the Wabash River north of Shawneetown reportedly devastated the lower end of Wabash Island, killing 3 people on the Indiana side.
June 4, 1877
A tornado of F4 intensity touched down just west of Mt. Carmel and moved east northeast, devastating the town. The tornado occurred in a heavily wooded area, and many trees were thrown long distances. After crossing the Wabash River, the tornado tracked for another 5 miles across Indiana before dissipating. 20 businesses and 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. At least 16 people, and as many as 30, were killed, with 100 injured.
June 4, 1999
Several tornadoes touched down across central Illinois, as severe thunderstorms moved through the area. A tornado moved across northern parts of Lincoln, with extensive tree damage in a park. High winds also produced damage to residences and trees in Lincoln. Damage to trees also occurred in Delavan, where a tornado moved across the north side of town. Other tornadoes that day were mainly weak, and brief in nature.
June 5, 1805
A family of tornadoes tracked from southeast Missouri across the southern third of Illinois, and may also have moved into Indiana. These moved across the Mississippi River about 20 miles downstream from St. Louis. Fish were reportedly "scattered all over the prairie" on the Illinois side of the river. Some pine tree tops, not native to that area of Illinois, were believed to have been blown in from at least 50 miles away. The easternmost documented damage was south of present-day Albion, in Edwards County. A straight line between these areas would indicate the tornadoes also tracked across present-day Mount Vernon, but an exact track could not be determined due to lack of settlements in the area at the time.
June 5, 1960
A strong tornado took a 55 mile path across east central Illinois, from Bloomington south-southeast to Farmer City to Sadorus. Although the tornado was on the ground only part of the time, major damage occurred to farmsteads near Farmer City, Ivesdale, and Sadorus.
June 6, 1874
A tornado estimated to be F3 strength ripped apart the town of Tampico, in northwest Illinois. No deaths were reported, but 20 people were injured.
June 6, 1987
Hail up to 3-1/2 inches in diameter fell in St. Clair County, in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Major damage occurred in Belleville, Cahokia, Freeburg, and Millstadt. Crops were smashed, and trees were stripped of leaves. $9 million damage was reported to vehicles, and $4.5 million damage to buildings.
June 7, 1907
A violent tornado moved across Washington County, from near Covington to New Minden. Near the tornado's endpoint, 4 people were killed while running to their storm cellar. Another violent tornado in southern Clark County destroyed or damaged every building in Old York. The tornado tracked for 15 miles, crossing into Indiana.
June 7, 1993
Parts of the Chicago metropolitan area were flooded after thunderstorms produced 2-5 inches of rain in a 3 hour period. This type of a rainstorm in that area has an average occurrence rate of once every 30-60 years. Over the period of a day, up to 6.50 inches of rain fell, producing one of greater floods noted in that area.
June 8, 1883
A tornado estimated to be F2 intensity moved across Springfield from southwest to northeast. The tornado was on the ground for 4 miles and unroofed homes, but no deaths or injuries were reported.
June 8, 1981
Severe thunderstorms in northeast and central Illinois produced hail the size of grapefruits at Kankakee. One tornado traveled along an 77 mile intermittent path from Brooklyn, in Schuyler County, east-southeastward to near Springfield. A second tornado was on the ground intermittently for 80 miles, originating southeast of Pekin and traveling to Mahomet, northwest of Champaign. Minor damage resulted from both tornadoes.
June 8, 1993
Severe thunderstorms moved across northern and central Illinois during the early evening hours. The storms produced winds near 70 mph south of Springfield and west of Pawnee. A small tornado developed from the system and moved through Illiopolis, damaging over 5 dozen buildings. Other tornadoes touched down near Decatur and Champaign.
June 9, 1911
Springfield recorded a high temperature of 101 degrees, setting a record for the date. This was also the first triple-digit temperature recorded in the city since 1901.
June 9, 1966
A tornado in Cook County produced intermittent damage from Hoffman Estates to the north edge of Prospect Heights. About 80 families were left homeless in Arlington Heights, after a home and several apartment buildings lost their roofs. Damage was estimated at $4 million.
June 10, 1902
A tornado touched down a few miles east of Canton and moved through Kingston Mines (southwest Peoria County). Two people were killed near Canton, but much of the damage occurred in the Kingston Mines area, where 16 homes were destroyed. 20 men and 18 engines were buried in the roundhouse there. Eight people were killed further east, when buildings were destroyed by strong winds.
June 11, 1928
A tornado across far northeast Illinois moved across McHenry County, destroying a school, barn, and granaries near Harvard. Another tornado on May 18th of the same year affected areas a few miles to the north.
June 12, 1928
Champaign's coolest June on record occurred in 1928, with an average temperature of 65.4 degrees, about 6 degrees below normal. Springfield and Peoria both established their second coolest June during this year.
June 13, 1857
A tornado destroyed 25 houses and damaged 50 others in Pana, in southeast Christian County. In some cases, it was hard to tell where the buildings had stood. The freight depot was unroofed, and freight cars blown off train tracks. A woman and three children were killed by a falling building.
June 13, 1976
A large, slow-moving tornado moved across parts of the southwestern Chicago suburbs, killing two people. The tornado, with winds over 200 mph, affected areas near Downers Grove. $13 million damage occurred when 89 homes were destroyed and another 90 were damaged. The tornado passed over the Argonne National Laboratory, peeling part of a roof off the building housing a nuclear reactor. The tornado's movement was rather erratic; the tornado first moved southeast, then north, and then turned to the west.
June 14, 1957
An F4 tornado moved across the south and southeast sides of Springfield. The tornado destroyed 25 homes and severely damaged 175 others; property damage was around $3 million. On the north side of town, the storms produced a wind gust of 98 mph at Capital Airport, which still stands as Springfield's record wind speed. Two people died during the storm, with over 50 injured. A separate tornado touched down in downtown Jacksonville, destroying or damaging 40 buildings.
June 14, 1974
A tornado took an intermittent 53 mile long path across northwest and west central Illinois. The tornado first touched down just southeast of the Quad Cities, and moved southeast into Knox County. In Abingdon (southwestern Knox County), 200 homes were damaged or destroyed.
June 15, 1936
Besides record heat, the summer of 1936 was also noted for its dry weather. The season started with only 0.45 inch of rain in Peoria during June, a record for the month. Springfield reported 1.14 inches during the month, its 7th driest June on record.
June 16, 1882
Springfield recorded 12.71 inches of rain during the month, setting a June record which also stands as the third wettest month ever in the Capital City. Peoria's total during the month was 11.18 inches, marking the second wettest June on record.
June 17, 1992
Springfield saw a high temperature of 89 degrees on this date. This in itself isn't unusual for June. However, this ended up being the warmest temperature recorded in June 1992. Since weather records began in Springfield in 1879, only 8 Junes have failed to record a temperature of 90 degrees or higher.
June 18, 1835
A tornado moved southeast across west central Illinois, touching down midway between Canton and Fairview. Farms were destroyed before the tornado moved across Canton, where 50 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The tornado killed 8 people, including the founder of Canton and his son.
June 18, 1998
Severe thunderstorms moved across a large portion of northern and central Illinois. Most of the damage occurred in the northeast part of the state, from near Rockford to the Chicago area. In Boone County, a 120-year-old barn was destroyed. Vehicles were blown off I-80 in Joliet, several schools in the Chicago area had damage, and numerous trees and power lines were blown down. A waterspout also formed on Lake Michigan. One person was injured, when a tree fell on him.
June 19, 1942
A tornado in Crawford County moved across the north edge of Robinson, ending near the Wabash River. Three homes were torn apart, and several barns were destroyed. Barn debris was carried 4 miles.
June 20, 1890
An afternoon violent tornado moved across Lee and De Kalb Counties of north central Illinois. The tornado touched down 5 miles west southwest of Amboy and tracked for 25 miles, before dissipating in De Kalb County. South of Paw Paw, a teacher and 6 students were killed when a school was lifted and blown apart. Six other people were killed along the tornado's path, with 60 people injured.
June 20, 1974
Severe thunderstorms with winds of 70 to 95 mph moved across the northern half of Illinois, injuring 36 people. At the DuPage County Airport west of Chicago, 20 airplanes were destroyed. A wind gust of 63 mph at the Peoria airport blew over two airplanes. The storms also spawned a few tornadoes, causing minor damage.
June 20, 1990
An outbreak of severe thunderstorms began in central Illinois during the evening of the 19th, and continued into the morning of the 20th. A tornado touched down southeast of Champaign in Pesotum, moving to Villa Grove; $1 million damage was inflicted on a grain elevator near Royal. A tornado was also reported just west of Springfield, causing some tree damage. Winds gusted over 70 mph in parts of Mason, Menard, Sangamon, and Macon Counties. The storms also produced widespread flash flooding across the region.
June 21, 1939
A widely visible tornado, estimated at F2 intensity, was watched by hundreds of people in Winnebago County. The tornado reportedly "meandered" in the Pecatonica River valley in the northwest part of the county. No deaths or injuries were reported.
June 21, 1998
A thunderstorm produced winds of 100 mph in Harrisburg, in southeast Illinois. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped, with some of these trees as much as 5 feet in diameter. A few outbuildings were blown off their foundations. The damage path was from 3/4 to 1 mile wide, and 4 to 5 miles long.
June 22, 1944
A violent tornado, which touched down in southwest Wisconsin, crossed the border into Illinois, northeast of Freeport. Both states had at least $1 million damage each. In Illinois, 66 farms lost barns, and 21 homes were destroyed. Two people were killed in Illinois, with 7 more in Wisconsin.
June 23, 1962
A tornado in Cook County severely damaged 14 homes in Oak Forest, with 40 others having minor damage. Damage was estimated at $1.1 million along the half mile long path.
June 23, 1994
Severe thunderstorms moved across central Illinois, from Quincy to south of Decatur. In the town of Moweaqua, in Shelby County, strong winds downed or destroyed over 1,000 trees, with numerous power and phone lines down. Property damage around the area was estimated near $750,000, with crop damage estimated to be near $6 million.
June 24, 1924
A strong tornado moved across McDonough and Fulton Counties, touching down east of Bardolph. About 50 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and barn splinters were driven into trees a half mile away. Five people were injured.
June 25, 2005
Drought conditions were becoming widespread over much of central and northern Illinois, having developed during April and May. Many locations received less than an inch of rain during the month, with a few locations only receiving a quarter inch. Water restrictions began to be implemented, especially in northern Illinois.
June 26, 1994
Severe thunderstorms moved across parts of central Illinois, with most of the damage in the Peoria area. A tornado briefly touched down in East Peoria. 3 inch diameter tree limbs were downed in Creve Coeur, and hail as large as golf balls covered the ground in Tremont.
June 27, 1945
A tornado moving across northwest and north central Illinois was nearly a mile wide at times. Bureau and LaSalle Counties were the tornado's primary target. The tornado was accompanied by a downburst of strong winds, 8 miles wide, causing extensive damage. Three farms near Princeton had every building and silo blown away.
June 28, 1957
In far east central Illinois, the town of Paris, in Edgar County, reported 10.20 inches of rainfall. This was a major contributor to a record June rainfall total of 17.65 inches, as well as a record year total of 61.59 inches. Weather records in Paris began in 1893.
June 28, 1998
Severe thunderstorms moving through central Illinois produced a 79 mph wind gust at the Lincoln airport. The winds blew down hundreds of trees, tree limbs, power poles, and power lines. Several homes sustained damage from falling trees. These same storms later produced a wind gust of 81 mph at the Bloomington airport. Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down across the Bloomington/Normal area.
June 29, 1976
A violent tornado in Peoria County moved northeast from near Kickapoo to near Dunlap. An entire farm was destroyed south of Dunlap, and 2 other homes were destroyed in the area. A second tornado in McLean County touched down 4 miles east of Lexington, destroying a barn and two outbuildings.
June 29, 1990
A microburst wind estimated around 150 mph did extensive damage in the town of Streamwood, in the Chicago metro area. At least $10 million damage was done to 25 stores and industrial buildings. Radar and eyewitness accounts indicated no rain or thunderstorms in the immediate vicinity of the area at the time.
June 29, 1998
A derecho (wind storm), which originated in Iowa, moved across Illinois during the afternoon and evening, and continued as far east as Ohio the next morning. Every county in central Illinois sustained some sort of damage, as these severe thunderstorms passed. Winds gusted in the 60 to 80 mph range, with some localized microbursts producing winds in excess of 100 mph. Significant damage occurred in the microburst areas, including the towns of Morton, McLean, LeRoy, and Tolono. Trees were blown over, buildings lost their roofs, and in Tolono, 21 cars of a freight train were blown off the tracks. Overall, 12 people were injured, and damage was estimated around $16 million.
June 30, 1960
An overnight tornado in Madison County moved near North Alton, Bethalto, Collinsville, Bunker Hill, and Godfrey. Three hangars were destroyed at the Bethalto airport, with 48 aircraft damaged or destroyed, resulting in $1 million damage.
June 30, 1993
Mississippi River levels rose dramatically during the last half of June 1993. On the Upper Mississippi River basin near the Quad Cities, river levels rose above major floods which occurred in 1965 and 1973. Near Grafton, Illinois, dozens of buildings were damaged during the month.
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