TL;DR

Two tornadoes were reported Saturday across Illinois and North Dakota, part of a widespread severe weather event that generated 168 wind reports and 36 hail reports across 18 states. A likely tornado was documented near Stoy, Illinois, with tree damage, while a brief tornado was observed north of Belfield, North Dakota. No injuries or significant damage have been reported from either event.

Saturday's Tornado Activity

The National Weather Service received two tornado reports on June 27, 2026, from widely separated regions of the central United States.

Illinois Tornado Near Stoy

At 1900 UTC (2:00 PM CDT), a likely tornado was reported near Stoy, Illinois, in Crawford County. According to the National Weather Service office in Lincoln, Illinois (ILX), video captured a funnel cloud obscured by the tree line near the intersection of Illinois Route 33 and North 600th Street.

Survey teams documented tree damage consisting of mostly small limbs with a few medium-sized branches down. The tornado has not yet been assigned an EF rating, and the report notes the event was delayed, meaning confirmation came after the initial occurrence.

Photos from the scene show damage to trees near two homes in the rural community. No injuries or structural damage to buildings have been reported.

North Dakota Tornado North of Belfield

Just after midnight UTC on June 28 (7:28 PM CDT June 27), a brief tornado was observed approximately seven miles north-northwest of Belfield, North Dakota, in Stark County. The National Weather Service office in Bismarck (BIS) confirmed the tornado based on video relayed by a storm chaser.

The tornado has since lifted, and no damage was reported. The location was determined using radar data. Belfield is located in the southwestern portion of North Dakota, roughly 100 miles west of Bismarck.

Broader Severe Weather Context

Saturday's tornadoes occurred within a much larger severe weather episode affecting the northern Plains, upper Midwest, Intermountain West, and portions of the Southeast.

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 1 outlook highlighted a Slight Risk across portions of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, and other areas. The primary hazards were large hail and damaging winds, with the tornado threat remaining relatively low across most areas.

Wind Damage Dominates the Day

Wind reports far outnumbered other severe weather categories, with 168 wind events documented across 18 states. The most significant wind damage occurred in the upper Midwest.

The upper Midwest experienced wind damage during the morning hours as a bow echo tracked eastward along the Minnesota-Iowa border. Personal weather stations recorded gusts of 58 mph near Garner and Britt, Iowa. The Storm Prediction Center noted that occasional severe gusts of 60-70 mph were observed with the morning mesoscale convective system.

Large Hail Across the Northern Plains and Intermountain West

Thirty-six hail reports were logged Saturday, concentrated in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah.

The largest hail fell in Montana, where a report from Belle Creek measured stones at 2.00 inches in diameter (roughly the size of a lime). Additional golf ball-sized hail (1.75 inches) was reported near Biddle, Montana, and in multiple locations across western South Dakota.

In South Dakota, measured hail included:

  • 2.00 inches near Buffalo along Highway 20
  • 2.00 inches southwest of Ladner along River Road (measured with a ruler)
  • 1.75 inches near Oral and south of Oelrichs

Utah's Cache Valley saw a cluster of quarter-sized hail reports during the late afternoon, including Fielding, Plymouth, and Trenton. Social media reports noted some stones appeared larger but were not measured.

What Drove Saturday's Severe Weather

According to the Storm Prediction Center's morning outlook, a broad closed low over the northern Great Basin and Rockies maintained a belt of south-southwesterly midlevel flow near 50 knots from Colorado to the Dakotas. A separate lee cyclone formed over northeast Colorado during the afternoon and progressed northeastward across Nebraska and South Dakota overnight.

The morning bow echo that produced wind damage in Iowa and Minnesota moved along a buoyancy gradient and warm frontal zone. SPC forecasters noted that richer low-level moisture advected northward behind the morning storms, though an elevated mixed layer delayed storm development for much of the day across the north-central United States.

A convectively augmented mid-level disturbance moved across portions of the Southeast during the afternoon. A moist airmass with precipitable water values near two inches destabilized under strong surface heating. Steepened low-level lapse rates and a belt of westerly flow at mid-levels allowed developing thunderstorm clusters to organize cold pools, producing isolated to scattered wind damage.

Looking Ahead

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 2 outlook (valid Sunday into Monday) maintains a Slight Risk across portions of Nebraska, the Dakotas, Minnesota, and South Dakota. The primary threats remain large hail and damaging winds, with the severe weather window focused on Sunday evening and overnight hours.

Elevated supercells and small thunderstorm clusters are expected to develop north of a surface cyclone tracking across the northern Plains. The environment will favor large to very large hail and severe wind gusts, particularly across western South Dakota and southern North Dakota after dark Sunday.

Residents across the northern Plains should monitor updated forecasts and have multiple ways to receive warnings, especially overnight when storms are forecast to be most active.

Nighttime Tornado Safety

Both of Saturday's tornadoes occurred during daylight hours, but the overnight severe weather threat Sunday into Monday highlights the importance of nighttime alerting.

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 for people outdoors and may not be audible inside homes, particularly in rural areas or during heavy rain and wind.

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.