EF2 tornado in Coles County, Illinois

The tornado developed 4 miles north of Mattoon and tracked

southeast, damaging trees, homes, and electrical transmission

lines as it crossed US Highway 45. It intensified as it reached

County Rd 700E, uprooting large hardwood trees and lifting the

roof off a single family residence. It continued east-southeast

from there, crossing Interstate 57 where it flipped a semi,

resulting in one injury. It then heavily damaged a few farm

outbuildings and trees on the western outskirts of Charleston. It

continued eastward through the north side of Charleston, causing

damage at the fairgrounds, a few outbuildings, an elementary school, and trees

throughout town before lifting 2 miles east of Charleston along

Illinois 16.

Several rounds of significant convection impacted central Illinois on June 17th, 2026. Clusters of thunderstorms initially formed on the nose of a strong low-level jet streak across Iowa during the pre-dawn hours, then tracked southeastward along a warm frontal boundary into central Illinois through midday. Scattered damaging wind gusts were reported in north-central Illinois, with the most concentrated corridor of 60-70 mph winds focused along a Galesburg, to Peoria, to Chenoa line.

Thunderstorms re-developed along a remnant outflow boundary from the morning convection by mid to late afternoon, with the most intense cells materializing along and south of a Springfield to Paris line where several tornadoes occurred and hail larger than baseballs (3 diameter) was reported across portions of Moultrie, Douglas, and Coles counties. An EF2 tornado impacted the Mattoon to Charleston area, and an EF3 tracked just north of Effingham.