Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Mercer and Henry Counties 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.