Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Southeastern Missouri

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for portions of southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and southeastern Missouri. This alert is effective immediately and remains in place until 7:30 PM CDT.

Affected Areas

The warning covers the following geographic regions:

• Southern Illinois: Union, Pulaski, Western Johnson, Williamson, Southern Jackson, and Alexander counties.
• Western Kentucky: North central Ballard County.
• Southeastern Missouri: Northern Scott, Southeastern Perry, Central Cape Girardeau, and Northern Stoddard counties.

Impacted locations include Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Marion, Jackson, Herrin, Murphysboro, Carterville, Scott City, Anna, Johnston City, Chaffee, Jonesboro, Trail Of Tears State Park, Crainville, Cambria, Cobden, Energy, Goreville, Dongola, and Tamms. This also affects Interstate 24 (Mile Markers 1-11), Interstate 57 (Mile Markers 10-60), and Interstate 55 (Mile Markers 84-110).

What You Should Do

For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Residents should remain alert for a possible tornado, as they can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado, go at once to a basement or a small central room in a sturdy structure.

Expected Conditions

At 6:52 PM CDT, radar indicated severe thunderstorms located along a line extending from Murphysboro to near Oran, moving east at 50 mph. The primary hazard is wind gusts of up to 60 mph. Residents should expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Timeline

The Severe Thunderstorm Warning is effective from 6:52 PM CDT until 7:30 PM CDT on March 15, 2026. Additionally, a Tornado Watch remains in effect for the broader region of southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and southeastern Missouri until 11:00 PM CDT.