Overview
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An early-season severe weather outbreak took shape across southeast Illinois during the afternoon of February 19 and persisted into the evening hours. The region along and immediately south of Interstate 70 saw the highest concentration of severe weather with preliminary reports indicating at least a couple tornadoes were observed across Effingham and Crawford counties. The most severe structural damage was reported near New Hebron in Crawford County. |
 February 19, 2026 radar loop with National Weather Service warnings overlayed. |
Tornadoes
Select a tornado from the table to zoom into the track and view more information. The default table view is limited to 8 tracks, but can be scrolled by a mouse wheel or dynamically expanded. Additionally, the table can fill the entire window by clicking the small circular expanding arrow icon at the very top right of the table and returned to its original size by clicking the button again. The side information panel that opens over the map can be closed using the "X" on the upper right corner of the pop-up. Zoom into the map and click damage points to see detailed information and pictures from the surveys.
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NOTE: times shown below are local to your device's time zone. |
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
| EF0 Weak 65-85 mph |
EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph |
EF2 Significant 111-135 mph |
EF3 Severe 136-165 mph |
EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph |
EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph |
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| Tornadoes that fail to impact any ratable damage indicators on the EF-Scale are rated EF-Unknown (EF-U) | |||||
Storm Reports
Preliminary Local Storm Report...Summary
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
809 PM CST Thu Feb 19 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0346 PM Funnel Cloud Wheeler 39.04N 88.32W
02/19/2026 Jasper IL Storm Chaser
Social media report with photo of funnel
cloud.
0658 PM Funnel Cloud 2 W Newton 38.99N 88.20W
02/19/2026 Jasper IL Storm Chaser
0338 PM Hail Dieterich 39.06N 88.38W
02/19/2026 M2.00 Inch Effingham IL Broadcast Media
0344 PM Hail Dieterich 39.06N 88.38W
02/19/2026 M1.75 Inch Effingham IL Broadcast Media
Half dollar to ping pong size hail with some
golf ball size hailstones.
0339 PM Hail Dieterich 39.06N 88.38W
02/19/2026 E1.25 Inch Effingham IL Public
Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.).
0725 PM Hail 4 SW Manito 40.39N 89.83W
02/19/2026 M1.25 Inch Mason IL Broadcast Media
Half dollar size hail at Sand Ridge State
Forest.
0338 PM Hail 1 W Dieterich 39.06N 88.40W
02/19/2026 E1.00 Inch Effingham IL Public
Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.).
0401 PM Hail 1 NNE Casey 39.31N 87.99W
02/19/2026 M1.00 Inch Clark IL Public
Pea to quarter size hail for about 4 minutes
and covering the ground.
0416 PM Hail Hardinville 38.92N 87.84W
02/19/2026 M1.00 Inch Crawford IL Public
0628 PM Hail Ray 40.21N 90.48W
02/19/2026 M1.00 Inch Schuyler IL Emergency Mngr
0745 PM Hail Bellevue 40.68N 89.68W
02/19/2026 M1.00 Inch Peoria IL Trained Spotter
0759 PM Hail 2 W Tremont 40.53N 89.53W
02/19/2026 M1.00 Inch Tazewell IL Broadcast Media
0439 PM Hail York 39.17N 87.64W
02/19/2026 M0.88 Inch Clark IL Trained Spotter
0705 PM Hail Havana 40.30N 90.06W
02/19/2026 M0.75 Inch Mason IL Broadcast Media
Penny size hail in Havana.
0730 PM Hail Manito 40.43N 89.78W
02/19/2026 M0.75 Inch Mason IL Broadcast Media
Penny size hail in Manito.
0307 PM Tornado Mason 39.06N 88.75W
02/19/2026 Effingham IL Public
0412 PM Tornado 2.5 N Chauncey 38.87N 87.87W
02/19/2026 Crawford IL Trained Spotter
0424 PM Tornado 3 SSW New Hebron 38.91N 87.77W
02/19/2026 Crawford IL Emergency Mngr
Mobile home rolled over with occupants
trapped. Three houses with roof off.
0425 PM Tornado 2 S New Hebron 38.92N 87.74W
02/19/2026 Crawford IL Emergency Mngr
House destroyed with occupants trapped.
0425 PM Tornado 4 W Flat Rock 38.90N 87.75W
02/19/2026 Crawford IL Trained Spotter
Tornado report relayed by Lawrence county
emergency manager.
0621 PM Tornado 4 N Bible Grove 38.93N 88.45W
02/19/2026 Effingham IL Storm Chaser
0316 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1.5 SW Watson 39.01N 88.59W
02/19/2026 Effingham IL Broadcast Media
*** 1 INJ ***
Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from
1.5 SW Watson. Seven vehicle accident due to
thunderstorm winds. 1 injury.
0438 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Robinson Municipal Airp 39.01N 87.65W
02/19/2026 M51 MPH Crawford IL AWOS
Robinson airport measured westerly wind gust
of 51 mph.
&&
$$
Radar
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Photos & Video
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Additional Information
The Forecast
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| SPC Day 1 12Z Categorical Outlook | SPC Day 1 1630Z Categorical Outlook - Upgraded to Enhanced Risk | SPC Day 1 1630Z Probabilistic Tornado Outlook | SPC Day 1 1630Z Probabilistic Wind Outlook |
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| SPC Day 1 Categorical Outlook | Tornado Watch Issued during the afternoon hours of Feb 19 | Graphical Outlook sent out by NWS Lincoln around 4 PM Feb 19 | 12Z RAP forecast sounding for a location south of I-70 (COD Meteorology) |
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