RECORD-HIGH TEMPERATURES IN ILLINOIS: An Extremely Rare Winter Tornado and Powerful Thunderstorms Appear!

Temperatures in the central part of the U.S. state of Illinois reached as high as 24 degrees Celsius in some areas over the weekend, which is more than 30 degrees above the average for late December, triggering unusually strong thunderstorms and the rare occurrence of winter tornadoes.

The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that at least two tornadoes damaged multiple homes, while strong winds tore off roofs and lifted debris into the air, the specialized weather-tracking portal “The Cool Down” reported.

Home security cameras captured the moment an EF1 tornado slammed into a home in Carbondale, Illinois, tearing off a section of the roof and shredding the yard. The videos were recorded on Mike Fleming’s home security system at his Jackson County home on Wednesday, 4-5-17 pic.twitter.com/kGxfBCyzh4
— ⚡Macomb Wx⚡ (@wx_macomb) January 4, 2026

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) recorded more than 60 reports of extreme weather conditions, including at least six preliminary tornado reports across central Illinois, as a cold front with Arctic air moved into warm air coming from the south.

The severe weather is linked to a so-called “bomb cyclone” that affected the Midwest and Great Lakes region over the weekend.

A bomb cyclone is a storm system that rapidly intensifies, with a pressure drop of at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.