EF1 tornado in Winnebago County, Illinois

This tornado touched down about 1 mile southeast of downtown Rockford southwest of the intersection of Railroad Ave and 8th St. It then tracked northeastward through the city of Rockford for about 7 minutes and just under 6 miles before lifting as it approached the intersection of Riverside Blvd and Mulford Rd. The tornado caused widespread tree damage, which was most concentrated at and near the Sinnissippi Golf Course, where the tornado reached its peak width of about 300 yards. Most structural damage was caused by trees that were uprooted and fell onto houses, but the tornado itself did also cause mostly minor roof damage to multiple homes.

During the afternoon and evening of the 31st, a wave of severe thunderstorms produced numerous tornadoes, severe hail, extensive wind damage, and localized flooding across northern and northeastern Illinois. A total of 37 tornadoes were confirmed across the state. The NWS Chicago office tied a record for the most tornadoes to occur in a single calendar day within the office's county warning area with 22, 17 of which occurred in Illinois. One EF-2 tornado occurred in south-central Lee County and two others in northwest Indiana. Some of the more notable damage includes multiple semi trucks blown over, a garage that had been completely destroyed southeast of Amboy, and the partial roof collapse of the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere which unfortunately resulted in one fatality and 40 injuries.