Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Monroe, Randolph, and St. Clair Counties in Illinois

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in St Louis has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for southern Monroe County, Randolph County, and southeastern Saint Clair County in southwestern Illinois. This alert is effective until 6:15 PM CDT on March 15, 2026.

Affected Areas

The warning impacts several communities in southwestern Illinois, including:

• Prairie Du Rocher
• Chester
• Evansville
• Red Bud
• Steeleville
• New Athens
• Marissa
• Sparta
• Coulterville
• Additional locations include Prairie, Preston, Bremen, Baldwin, Blair, Lenzburg, Eden, Tilden, and St. Libory.

What You Should Do

Residents in the warning area should seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from windows immediately. This storm is capable of producing damaging winds. Because tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms, the NWS advises seeking shelter in an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built structure. A Tornado Watch also remains in effect for a portion of southwest Illinois until 8:00 PM CDT.

Expected Conditions

At 5:28 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 5 miles northeast of Bloomsdale, or 10 miles northwest of Ste. Genevieve, moving northeast at 50 mph. The primary hazard identified is 60 mph wind gusts, which were radar-indicated. Residents should expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Timeline

The warning was issued at 5:28 PM CDT and is scheduled to expire at 6:15 PM CDT. The broader Tornado Watch for the region is currently set to expire at 8:00 PM CDT.