EF1 tornado in Coles County, Illinois

A tornado touched down about one quarter of a mile east of Rardin at 10:18 PM CST. The tornado did only tree damage with the greatest concentration through the wooded areas along the Embarras River. Evidence that the tornado was on the ground was also found along East County Road 1750 North. The tornado lifted 1 mile east of Oakland at 10:22 PM CST.

A deepening area of low pressure tracked from near Kansas City during the afternoon of December 10th to southern Lake Michigan by the pre-dawn hours of December 11th. An unseasonably warm and moist airmass surged northward ahead of the system, resulting in high temperatures reaching the lower to middle 60s across central Illinois. As the low and an associated vigorous short-wave trough interacted with the moderately unstable and highly sheared environment, several clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and evening of the 10th. Numerous rotating cells were observed, with a total of 6 tornadoes touching down across central Illinois. 5 of the tornadoes were rated EF-2, including one that injured a person just north of Herrick in Shelby County.