Published on June 19, 2026 8:14 am
Last Updated on June 19, 2026 8:14 am
The National Weather Service has released details on the tornado that struck Coles County Wednesday evening. Details on the Effingham County storms should hopefully be available today.
Here are the numbers from Coles County:
Date: Jun 17, 2026
Time: 6:42 – 6:59 PM
EF Scale: EF2
Est. Peak Winds: 116 mph
Track Length: 13.8 miles
Max Width: 800 yards
Injuries/Deaths: 1/0
Summary: 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, and trees throughout town before lifting 2 miles east of Charleston along Illinois 16.
