TL;DR

Two tornadoes were reported across the United States on August 21, 2026: a landspout near Tucson, Arizona, and a brief tornado in northern Illinois. The day was dominated by damaging winds, with 238 wind reports spanning 16 states from the Carolinas to the Rockies. Large hail up to 3 inches in diameter struck Nebraska.

What happened on August 21

Severe weather spread across a broad swath of the country on August 21, producing two confirmed tornadoes, widespread wind damage, and significant hail. The event unfolded in two distinct phases: an afternoon and evening push across the Southeast and Carolinas, followed by overnight storms across the central Plains and Midwest.

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had highlighted the potential for severe weather across multiple regions in its Day 1 outlook, with scattered damaging winds identified as the primary threat from the Ohio Valley into the central Appalachians.

Tornado reports

Tucson landspout

At 2226 UTC (3:26 pm MST), a spotter looking west from Saguaro National Park East reported a landspout tornado approximately six miles south-southeast of Tucson, Arizona. The National Weather Service in Tucson (TWC) documented the report.

Landspouts are a type of tornado that forms along the leading edge of a thunderstorm, typically in environments with strong low-level wind shear but weaker mid-level rotation than classic supercell tornadoes. They tend to be brief and relatively weak, though they can still cause localized damage.

Northern Illinois tornado

At 2257 UTC (5:57 pm CDT), video captured a very brief tornado just north of US Route 52 at Cedar Grove Road, approximately four miles southeast of Sublette in northern Illinois. The National Weather Service in Chicago (LOT) confirmed the tornado based on video evidence.

The tornado touched down in Lee County, a rural area about 100 miles west of Chicago. No damage reports have been confirmed at this time. EF-scale ratings have not yet been assigned to either tornado.

Widespread wind damage

The dominant story of August 21 was damaging wind. A total of 238 wind reports were logged across 16 states, making this one of the most geographically expansive wind events of the summer.

Carolinas and Southeast

The first wave of severe weather developed during the afternoon across the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama as a weak cold front pushed eastward. Numerous trees and power lines were reported down, particularly across North Carolina.

Highlights from the wind reports include:

  • Multiple trees down on homes and roadways across central North Carolina, including Rockfish, Cedar Creek, and Beulaville
  • Trees blocking Interstate 20 in South Carolina near Aiken
  • Several large trees down in the Ranburne, Alabama area
  • Widespread tree damage near Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, where approximately 15 trees fell, trapping some individuals in vehicles

The National Weather Service in Wilmington (ILM) noted that some individuals were trapped in cars under fallen trees and power lines near Lake Waccamaw, underscoring the danger of driving during severe thunderstorms.

Plains and Midwest

A second round of severe weather developed overnight across the central Plains and Midwest. Strong to severe thunderstorms produced additional wind damage across Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.

Wind gusts were measured or estimated near 60 mph in several locations, with the Nebraska Mesonet recording a 60 mph gust near Rushville early in the day.

Significant hail across Nebraska

While wind was the dominant hazard, large hail was also reported in 29 locations across nine states. The most significant hail fell across western Nebraska during the overnight hours.

Nebraska hail swath

Between 2254 UTC and 0234 UTC, a corridor of large hail tracked across the Nebraska Panhandle. The largest hailstones were reported near Bayard, where:

  • 3-inch hail (baseball size) was photographed just east of Moomaws at 0104 UTC
  • 2.75-inch hail (slightly smaller than a baseball) was reported at two additional locations near Bayard

Hail of this size can cause severe damage to vehicles, roofs, and crops. The National Weather Service in Cheyenne (CYS) documented multiple reports with photographic evidence.

Additional hail reports included:

  • 1.75-inch hail (golf ball size) near Chadron, Nebraska
  • 2.5-inch hail (tennis ball size) in Highland, Illinois, at 0755 UTC
  • 2-inch hail (hen egg size) in Aviston, Illinois

Gulf Coast hail

Earlier in the day, quarter to half-dollar size hail (1.00 to 1.25 inches) was reported across southern Mississippi and the New Orleans metro area in Louisiana. Broadcast media and public reports documented hail in Waveland, Lyman, Harvey, Marrero, and Gretna.

Context: August severe weather

Two tornadoes in a single day is not unusual for late August, a time when severe weather frequency is declining from the spring and early summer peak. However, the geographic spread of severe weather on August 21 — from Arizona to the Carolinas — reflects the transitional nature of late-summer weather patterns.

Upper-level troughing over the Great Lakes and a weak surface front provided the lift needed for thunderstorm development across the eastern half of the country, while monsoonal moisture and weak disturbances supported isolated severe storms across the Southwest and Rockies.

The 238 wind reports place August 21 among the more active severe weather days of the month, though the relatively low tornado count and lack of significant tornadoes kept the event from rising to outbreak status.

What's next

SPC's Day 2 outlook (valid August 23) highlights a Marginal Risk for severe weather across portions of Oklahoma, Arkansas, South Dakota, and Montana. Isolated severe storms are possible across the Northern Plains and Northeast as well.

Day 3 (valid August 24) maintains a Marginal Risk across parts of the Northern and Southern Plains, including Nebraska, Minnesota, and the Dakotas.

No high-end severe weather is anticipated in the near term, though localized damaging wind and hail remain possible with any storms that develop.

Staying alert during widespread wind events

Widespread wind events like August 21 can be challenging to track because severe weather develops across multiple states simultaneously, often in areas not covered by tornado or severe thunderstorm watches.

Damaging winds can down trees and power lines with little warning, particularly in areas with saturated soil from recent rainfall. If you're driving during severe weather, pull over and wait for the storm to pass rather than risk encountering a downed tree or power line across the roadway.

Third-party weather apps are silenced by Do Not Disturb, though Wireless Emergency Alerts for tornado warnings still break through on most phones. For flash flood warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings — which are not always transmitted via WEA — you may miss critical alerts if your phone is on silent overnight.

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.