Indianapolis, IN – A tornado watch is now active for large portions of southern Illinois and central to southwestern Indiana through 8 p.m. EDT Sunday, March 30. Residents across the region are urged to stay alert as severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes, damaging wind, and large hail continue to develop.
According to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, Tornado Watch 70 was issued at 1 p.m. EDT and includes major cities such as Indianapolis, Bloomington, Terre Haute, and Evansville in Indiana, as well as Champaign, Carbondale, Marion, and Mt. Vernon in Illinois. Wind gusts may reach up to 70 mph, and hail up to 2 inches in diameter is possible with the strongest cells.
In Illinois, the following counties are under the tornado watch:
Bond, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Lawrence, Macon, Marion, Montgomery, Moultrie, Perry, Piatt, Randolph, Richland, Saline, Shelby, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, and Williamson.
In Indiana, the tornado watch covers these counties:
Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Rush, Shelby, Spencer, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren, and Warrick.
A few tornadoes are likely, with isolated intense tornadoes also possible, particularly during peak heating in the late afternoon. Emergency management officials recommend reviewing shelter plans and staying near reliable weather alerts as conditions may rapidly deteriorate.
This tornado watch includes over 75 counties across both states and stretches from far northwest Kentucky to southeast Missouri, highlighting the broad impact potential of this weather system.
Residents should monitor NOAA Weather Radio, local news, or mobile alerts for real-time updates and be prepared to act quickly should a tornado warning be issued.
