Urgent Tornado Warnings Issued Across Multiple States—Is Your Area at Risk?

A fast-moving storm system is triggering multiple tornado warnings and watches across the Midwest and Ohio Valley this evening, marking the most significant severe-weather outbreak of 2026 so far. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center upgraded the risk level earlier today, placing southeast Illinois, southern Indiana and areas along the Ohio River under an Enhanced to Moderate risk for tornadoes. By 6 p.m. CST, tornado watches were already in effect for large portions of Indiana, with several cells rapidly intensifying into warned storms capable of producing damaging winds, golf-ball-size hail and strong, fast-moving tornadoes. In Central Illinois, forecasters issued the first tornado warning of the year shortly after sunset as a supercell tracked near Peoria, prompting sirens and reports of funnel clouds. Farther north, the warm sector is expanding toward the Great Lakes, and meteorologists warn that overnight tornadoes could develop in parts of Michigan where the season’s first severe-storm setup is unfolding. The National Weather Service office in Lincoln, IL, emphasized on social media that discrete storms ahead of the main line will have the highest tornado potential and urged residents to keep multiple ways of receiving warnings as the threat persists after dark. Key safety reminders as tornado warnings are issued tonight: • Have a NOAA Weather Radio or wireless emergency alerts enabled on your phone so you receive the tornado warning the moment it’s issued. • Know your shelter location—an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows—and practice reaching it in under 60 seconds. • If traveling, identify sturdy buildings along your route; do not try to outrun a tornado in a vehicle. • After the warning is lifted, stay tuned for flash-flood advisories; tonight’s storms are producing torrential rain in addition to rotation. Forecasters expect the severe line to sweep eastward into Ohio before daybreak, with the threat transitioning to damaging straight-line winds but still capable of producing embedded tornadoes. As one meteorologist put it, “February tornadoes are uncommon but not unheard of; warm Gulf moisture, strong wind shear and a potent jet stream are lining up to make this a dangerous night.” Residents from St. Louis to Cincinnati should review their tornado safety plans now, keep phones charged and enable location services so real-time warnings can reach them instantly.