Lucas Munzlinger Photography

Across the United States, the available National Weather Service surveys support 46 confirmed tornadoes dated June 21 by local time: 22 in Illinois, 17 in Indiana, three in Kentucky, and two each in Kansas and Missouri. The ratings break down to 17 EF0s, 18 EF1s, 4 EF2s, 1 EF3, and 6 EFUs, the last group confirmed but without enough damage evidence to assign an intensity. That is a nationwide daily tally, including storms outside the Illinois-centered afternoon outbreak, compiled from records checked on October 6, 2026. The count combines NOAA event records and NWS survey tracks, merging county continuations and adding survey-confirmed tracks absent from that NOAA file; it remains subject to revisions.

My chase began at 3:00 PM CDT. The HRRR guidance I had been watching suggested an isolated supercell near Mount Vernon, so that was where I headed after leaving work. I filled the car with gas, then drove north toward Dix and the developing thunderstorm. Looking back, the archived 18Z HRRR run, initialized at 1 PM CDT and shown below valid at 5 PM, offers a useful look at the forecast environment. I cannot identify the exact run I used that day, but the targeting decision came from the guidance I was following at the time.

HRRR simulated reflectivity, with updraft-helicity and 10-meter wind overlays. Run: June 21 at 18Z; valid: 22Z, or 5 PM CDT. This is a forecast comparison, not an identification of my original run. Screenshot: Chase Archive.

There was more supporting these storms than a promising model image. Earlier thunderstorms had left a boundary near and north of Interstate 64. NWS Paducah's analysis describes late-afternoon mixed-layer CAPE approaching 2,000 J/kg from southwest Illinois and 40–45 knots of wind shear. Instability supplied energy for rising air, while the wind shear favored organized, rotating storms. At 5 PM, the Significant Tornado Parameter reached 2 just west of Jefferson County. These regional analysis values help explain why a developing thunderstorm could become dangerous so quickly. NWS Paducah environmental analysis.

Visible satellite view labeled 22:15Z—5:15 PM CDT—with radar and station observations switched off. It shows the broader cloud field across Illinois and Indiana during the tornado's surveyed lifespan. The yellow marker is the archive's fixed case location. Screenshot: Chase Archive.

North of Mount Vernon, the developing storm became a tornadic supercell near Texico and Stratton. I watched the tornado take shape and followed much of its lifespan. Its stovepipe form and multiple-vortex appearance were incredible, but the circulating debris was the detail that stayed with me. There was destruction happening under that circulation, and the beauty of the storm did not lessen what it was doing to people's homes.

The updated NWS survey puts the tornado's start south of Dix at 5:02 PM CDT and its end at 5:30 PM It crossed from Jefferson County into Wayne County along a 15.26 mile path, reaching a maximum width of 400 yards. Surveyors rated it EF3, with estimated peak winds of 140 mph. Those winds were estimated from damage; they were not a direct surface measurement. Tragically, the tornado killed two people and injured five. The June 24th survey update extended the track, superseding the older 13.8 mile figure still found in an earlier summary. NWS survey update.

Observed regional radar at 5:15 PM CDT. The compact storm near the yellow case marker sits south of a broader band of thunderstorms. The marker is a geographic reference, not my camera position. Screenshot: Chase Archive.

The closer radar view gives those minutes another dimension. Archived KVWX data from 5:10:14–5:10:38 PM CDT show a hook-shaped reflectivity feature and adjacent opposing radial velocities near the western part of the surveyed path. That pattern is consistent with rotation in the storm I was watching. By roughly 5:23 PM, the storm and velocity feature had moved farther east. The full radar sequence included below follows that progression from shortly before the surveyed touchdown until just after the reported end.

KVWX reflectivity at left and base radial velocity at right, plotted from archived NEXRAD data. The white line shows the complete NWS surveyed path for reference. These radar velocities do not represent the tornado's peak surface wind, and the image alone does not verify multiple vortices or airborne debris.

The complete KVWX sequence spans scans around 4:59, 5:10, 5:23, and 5:31 PM CDT. The white line is the complete surveyed path in every panel. The parent storm remains visible after the official 5:30 PM tornado end. Source: NOAA NEXRAD Level II archive via NSF Unidata and the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

The threat continued into the evening. NWS Paducah's 7 PM analysis showed effective storm-relative helicity of 200–300 m²/s² and approximately 25 knots of shear in the lowest kilometer, indicating continued support for rotating storms. Around 1,500 J/kg of mixed-layer CAPE remained across southern Illinois at 10 PM these are later regional conditions, rather than measurements taken at the tornado's initial touchdown. NWS Paducah evening analysis. Farther north, flooding compounded the severe weather: NWS Lincoln reported radar-estimated rainfall locally reaching five inches in parts of central and southeast Illinois. NWS Lincoln event summary.

My video from the chase captures part of what I saw. Without the original camera timestamps, I cannot honestly assign each moment of the footage to a particular radar scan, but the official timeline and archived imagery provide the larger setting. Leaving work, committing to Mount Vernon, heading north, and watching that tornado develop made this an unforgettable first solo chase. I will remember the stovepipe, the multiple vortices, and the debris moving around it and the fact that this extraordinary storm left people facing devastating losses.