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EF1 tornado in Christian County, Illinois

Tornado March 15, 2026 · Christian County, Illinois

EF1
Rating
1.4 mi
Path length
80 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 80 yards (0.05 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

This tornado began just southwest of Assumption and moved along west Illinois Street where it uprooted or snapped numerous trees and downed power lines. The tornado continued through Assumption, producing more tree damage and removing roofing material from a downtown building. The tornado damage a few more trees northeast of town before dissipating prior to reaching Highway 51. The tornado was rated EF-1, and was in progress for just two minutes.

The wider storm

A strong low pressure system (987 mb) moved across Illinois during the afternoon of Sunday, March 15, 2026. The environment was characterized by high shear and weak instability. A line of storms swept across the state, producing scattered wind damage and eight tornadoes within the NWS Central Illinois coverage area. The tornadoes occurred southeast of the I-72 corridor and all were rated EF-0 or EF-1. No injuries occurred.

Began near Assumption (39.5144, -89.0615).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

6 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF1 Christian CountyEF1 Moultrie CountyEF1 Douglas CountyEF0 Moultrie CountyEF0 Douglas CountyEF0 Richland County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1323795. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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