Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Mercer and Henry Counties in Northwestern Illinois
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
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A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for parts of Mercer and Henry Counties until 9:45 PM CDT, with 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail expected.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Severe Thunderstorm Warning
- Affected area
- Northwestern Illinois
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Quad Cities
Storm notices can cover different combinations of wind, hail, lightning, and rainfall. Use the original notice for the hazards and boundaries attached to this specific record.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Northwestern Illinois.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northeastern Mercer County and southern Henry County in northwestern Illinois. The warning was issued following radar-indicated threats of severe weather moving through the region.
Affected Areas
The warning covers specific geographic areas including:
- Counties: Northeastern Mercer County and Southern Henry County.
- Cities and Towns: Kewanee, Cambridge, Galva, Woodhull, Alpha, Andover, Cable, New Windsor, Lynn Center, Bishop Hill, Ophiem, German Corner, Swedona, Nekoma, Ulah, and Griffin.
- Key Landmarks: Henry County Fairgrounds, Kewanee Municipal Airport, and Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park.
- Transportation: Interstate 74 in Illinois between mile markers 22 and 33.
What You Should Do
For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Continuous cloud-to-ground lightning is occurring with this storm; move indoors immediately. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Additionally, torrential rainfall is occurring and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.
Expected Conditions
At 8:43 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Griffin, or 14 miles west of Cambridge, moving east at 35 mph.
- Wind: 60 mph wind gusts are expected. Residents should expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.
- Hail: Quarter-size hail is anticipated, which is expected to cause damage to vehicles.
- Precipitation: Torrential rainfall and continuous lightning are currently occurring.
Timeline
The Severe Thunderstorm Warning is effective until 9:45 PM CDT on March 10, 2026. Furthermore, a Tornado Watch remains in effect for northwestern Illinois until 11:00 PM CDT.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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