Lexington, IL - Emergency Management Agency (EMA)

03/17/2026

Please read! This is exactly right. Lexington’s criteria:
Hail over quarter size
Winds over 60mph
Tornado warning ONLY when Lexington is in the direct path of a tornado on the ground or a funnel cloud

OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS: Let's talk about these sirens.

Many people believe they should be able to hear them inside because they hear them every month during the monthly test. Think about how different the weather conditions are. If it's windy, raining, thundering or hailing when they go off, you may not hear them compared to on a quiet, sunny day when they test them.

Many people think they are the gospel when it comes to alerts. They aren't and they shouldn't be. You might be asleep, doing something, not paying attention, etc. if and when they go off. They should never be a primary way to get weather alerts. In fact, they are designed for those outdoors to get alerts, not those indoors. If you're inside, have at least two ways to get alerts. This could be a NOAA Weather Radio, WCIA WeatherCall, the WCIA 3 Weather App, watching TV or a local county text/call alert system if you have one.

Many people also believe that if they go off, it means a tornado is nearby. That's often NOT the case. Each county and municipality also has different criteria for sounding the outdoor warning sirens. Some do it for confirmed tornadoes only, even if there's a tornado warning. Some do it for wind gusts above a certain criteria or for very large hail. Some blow them if a tornado is within a certain distance. Some set them off for the whole county even if only part of a county is included. It's not a perfect nor is it an ideal system, but it does serve its purpose.

So, how should you treat outdoor warning sirens? The easiest way to view these is that when the sirens blow, you go look for more information. They are going off for a reason, but they don't tell you that reason. Many of you already do this. When you hear them, either you are already watching coverage or you begin to look for weather coverage/information. 95% of the time if there are sirens going off, we're probably at least on digital platforms, if not on TV providing weather coverage in some capacity. And, we'll work to provide you that information.

03/15/2026

*Sunday, 9am* Today is the day for some weird weather. We have a line of storms moving through shortly, then a break until this afternoon. Extremely high winds will kick up around 3pm with the next round. Make sure to secure loose items in your yard and as this graphic states, it’s not a bad idea to treat storm warnings as tornado warnings this evening. 60-80mph straight line winds can do just as much damage as a tornado.

Directly after the storms we will see a 60° drop in temps overnight and into the morning with some snow, leading to a flash freeze from the wet roads and possible white out conditions.

It’s a great day to do what you need to do before 3pm and stay settled at home through the night.

The potential for widespread wind damage across Central Illinois is growing. Wind gusts outside of storms are pushing 60mph, so it’s no hard to get 75mph+ gusts across the area as the line comes through. Tree damage and power outages are expected in some areas.

It may be a day where you want to treat even a severe thunderstorm warning like a tornado warning because of how significant the wind could be.

03/14/2026

Sunday through Monday get ready for…… literally everything.
Storms Sunday evening, wintery mix Sunday night, snow Monday morning. All of it accompanied with sustained winds of over 35mph, and winds of up to 60-80 mph during the storms. Freezing temps will return to below zero through Tuesday morning as well.
Spring is trying but winter is fighting back, and we get to watch them duke it out in one single system. It’s a wild ride we are on!

This is one of the more wild setups I've seen. On the leading edge Sunday evening, we may have line of severe storms with 70 mph winds and a few tornadoes possible. Within a few hours, we transition to potentially a fast round of moderate to heavy snowfall that also will blow, and roads could flash freeze as temps drop from the 60s to the 20s in hours.

If the cold air doesn't catch up quick enough, then the band of snow that follows after midnight will be the one to deliver us the blowing snow.

Just wild.

03/11/2026

Sooooo - after last nights events who wants to become more informed about severe weather?

You're in luck! This Saturday, from 9 am-11 am is our annual Severe Weather Spotter training in Bloomington. If you'd like to register please call our office at 309-888-5020.

Attending doesn't mean that you have to become a spotter. Have storm anxiety? Knowledge is power! 🌪️🌩️⛈️

03/11/2026

That was a short nap!

Another system heading this way, I don't think this one is gonna miss us.

03/11/2026

We know it’s frustrating with the hype and anxiety only to have the cap hold and we get left out of the action; however, this is what’s happening north of us. Kankakee has significant damage from a large tornado that is still on the ground headed to Indiana.

Our warm air cap held up, but we will still see some late night storms, just hopefully not as severe as our northern counterparts are seeing.

5” hail in Buckingham, IL. SW of Kankakee.

Kankakee county, this storm is dropping monster hail.

Photo by Landon Moeller

03/10/2026

The warning you received is north of us and moving NE. Don’t panic!

03/10/2026

Probably one of the last updates today from us. It’s going to be a weird, eerie summer day in the middle of March. Be weather aware after 3pm!

03/10/2026

Remember, meteorologists are warning us about what the atmosphere *can* do, not what it *will* do.
We will continue to hope that our “bubble” stays in tact; however, we can’t be lucky every time. Now is the time to develop a plan for your family and have multiple ways to receive warnings. While we will sound the sirens, do not throw all of your eggs in that basket. If we get baseball size hail beating on your house, with howling winds, your TV and dishwasher on - there’s a good chance you won’t hear them unless you are right next to them.
The weather channel and AccuWeather are also not the most reliable sources. They are great for long range weather planning and day to day forecast but please find a local meteorologist during these severe events as they are forecasting in real time using local atmospheric conditions. Darren Leads, Jacob Dickey and Chris Yates are all great options.
Lexington spotters will be out but please pay attention on your own and be ready! Tomorrow evening may be a great day to just hang out downstairs if you can!
Timing right now is all over the place - be weather aware from 4pm through the night.

The biggest challenge when it comes to forecasting tomorrow's severe weather event is pining down the location of the warm front when storms begin to develop. A lake breeze from Lake Michigan will likely augment this front a bit further south, stalling it somewhere between I-74 and I-80.

The air along and south of the front will be very unstable with very favorable tornado parameters. Storms in close proximity to the warm front or on it will be prone to producing all severe hazards, including strong tornadoes. Storms that drift north of the boundary will primarily be large hail producers.

We don't know where the front will stall, and we won't until tomorrow afternoon. The difference between someone being impacted by a tornado vs just experiencing large hail could come down a storm drifting just a tad bit too far north and getting off of the warm front.

As meteorologists and forecasters, we know what the atmosphere will be capable of doing tomorrow. That is why we are letting you know what the POTENTIAL threats and risks are. Use that information and prepare for the worst so you don't get caught off guard if it happens.

Posted 4:39 pm 3/9/26

03/09/2026

**TUESDAY** Please be weather aware. We are in the 6/10 risk zone, and could see up to tennis ball sized hail. Timing is 6-10pm. Let’s hope that cap stays in place tomorrow.

I had to double check, but guidance depicts such a volatile environment that within an hour it goes from nothing to severe storms capable of strong tornadoes, very large hail and damaging winds.

Those would be supercells during the evening hour. Watching the window 3P-10P to see if/when the cap breaks. If it does, there could be some monster storms that form very quickly.

02/27/2026

‼️Red Flag warning ‼️ Please do not burn today. Realistically, until we get some rain.