TL;DR

Nineteen tornadoes were reported across four states on Thursday, June 11, 2026, with the majority concentrated in Illinois and Indiana during the evening hours. Streator, Illinois was hit by multiple tornadoes between 4:42 PM and 4:56 PM local time, with damage to structures reported on the south side of the city. The outbreak also brought 674 wind reports and 45 hail reports across 21 states.

What happened Thursday evening

A multi-state severe weather outbreak unfolded Thursday afternoon and evening, producing 19 confirmed tornadoes across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Texas. The bulk of tornado activity occurred in a corridor from central Illinois northeast into northwest Indiana between 4:00 PM and 7:30 PM CDT.

According to local storm reports compiled by the National Weather Service, the first tornado touched down at 4:59 PM CDT approximately five miles west-northwest of Low Point, Illinois. Social media photos captured a large tornado in progress. Over the next three hours, the storm system marched northeast, spawning multiple tornadoes along its path.

The most significant concentration of activity centered on Streator, Illinois, a city of roughly 13,000 residents in LaSalle County. Between 5:42 PM and 5:56 PM local time, at least five separate tornado reports were logged in and around Streator. The Illinois State Police confirmed damage to structures on the south side of the city at approximately 5:51 PM, with the timing estimated by radar analysis.

Illinois and Indiana bear the brunt

Illinois recorded 13 tornado reports on Thursday, the highest count of any state. Communities affected included:

  • Low Point
  • Ipava
  • Ancona
  • Streator (multiple reports)
  • Ransom
  • Dwight (multiple reports)
  • Deer Creek
  • Reddick
  • Hoopeston

Trained spotters, law enforcement, and storm chasers documented tornadoes at multiple locations. Near Ransom, a photo captured a tornado on the ground at 6:04 PM local time. Between Dwight and Reddick, live video showed a tornado with visible debris at 6:27 PM.

Indiana logged five tornado reports, all in the northwest portion of the state. The towns of Hebron, Boone Grove, Kouts, and Wanatah were affected between 7:51 PM and 8:28 PM CDT. A storm chaser captured video of a tornado southeast of Hebron at 7:58 PM. Near Boone Grove, a trained spotter reported a tornado with debris in the air near the intersection of 900 South Road and 200 West Road.

Wisconsin recorded one tornado near Union Grove in Racine County at 6:10 PM local time, with a touchdown reported near the intersection of US Highway 45 and Wisconsin Highway 142.

Texas landspout and overnight activity

One additional tornado was reported in Texas—a landspout six miles northeast of Smyer in the South Plains at 7:03 PM CDT. Landspouts are typically weaker tornadoes that form along the leading edge of thunderstorm outflow boundaries and lack the classic supercell structure of Great Plains tornadoes.

The tornado reports span a nine-hour window, from 4:59 PM CDT in Illinois to 8:28 PM CDT in Indiana. No EF-scale ratings have been issued as of this writing; NWS survey teams typically conduct damage assessments in the days following an event.

Wind and hail reports across 21 states

While tornadoes grabbed headlines, damaging wind was the dominant hazard Thursday. The Storm Prediction Center logged 674 wind reports across 21 states, making this one of the most widespread wind events of the year so far. States affected ranged from the Plains to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Iowa bore the brunt of the wind damage, with dozens of reports of downed trees, snapped power poles, and structural damage. In Ames, a 72 mph gust was measured at the Ames Municipal Airport. In Deep River, tree branches came down and sheds were destroyed. Near Dysart, law enforcement posted photos of snapped power poles on social media.

Hail reports totaled 45, with the largest stones reaching two inches in diameter (roughly the size of a lime). Hamilton, Iowa reported two-inch hail around 8:05 AM local time. Pawling, New York recorded 1.75-inch hail during the evening hours as storms moved through the Hudson Valley.

Context: Third consecutive day of tornadoes

Thursday's 19 tornadoes mark the third consecutive day of confirmed tornado activity in the United States. According to recent VORTEX blog posts, 16 tornadoes were reported on June 10 and four tornadoes on June 9. The multi-day stretch reflects an active upper-level pattern across the central and eastern U.S., with repeated rounds of severe thunderstorms tracking through the Midwest and Great Lakes.

June is historically the second-most active month for tornadoes in Illinois, trailing only April. The state averages roughly 19 tornadoes per year, with the majority occurring during the spring and early summer months when warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico clashes with cooler air masses diving south from Canada.

What's next

The Storm Prediction Center has issued an Enhanced Risk—the third-highest category on the five-tier scale—for portions of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa on Friday, June 12. The outlook calls for severe storms capable of large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes across the region. Residents in the Enhanced Risk area should monitor forecasts closely and have multiple ways to receive warnings.

A Slight Risk extends across a broader area, including parts of the Southern Plains, Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast. While the threat level is lower, isolated severe storms remain possible.

For areas affected by Thursday's tornadoes, Friday will bring the challenge of cleanup and damage assessment. NWS survey teams will fan out across Illinois and Indiana to determine EF-scale ratings and document tornado paths. These surveys typically involve examining structural damage, analyzing tree fall patterns, and interviewing witnesses.

Nighttime tornado safety

Several of Thursday's tornadoes occurred during the evening hours, when visibility is reduced and many residents are indoors or asleep. Nighttime tornadoes are statistically more deadly than daytime tornadoes, in part because people are less likely to receive warnings in time to take shelter.

Third-party weather apps are silenced by Do Not Disturb mode on most smartphones, though Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for tornado warnings still break through on most phones by default. Outdoor warning sirens are designed to alert people outside, not inside homes, and may not be audible indoors—especially over the sound of wind, rain, or air conditioning.

VORTEX is a free web app at vortexintel.app that monitors severe weather nationwide. Pro ($4.99/month) places phone calls to your phone when a tornado or flash flood warning is issued for a location you care about — calls can ring through Do Not Disturb once you enable Emergency Bypass for the number, unlike most third-party app notifications.