TOLONO, Ill. (WCIA) – 47 years ago, a historic tornado outbreak began right here in Central Illinois. It was a warm and humid day on April 3rd, 1974. The air was ripe for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms with ample instability, wind shear and moisture needed for violent tornadoes. The first tornado of the day touched…
Two additional weak tornadoes confirmed in August 10th derecho event
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now) — The National Weather Service has confirmed two weak tornadoes in the August 10th derecho. This brings the total tornadoes for that event to six. These tornadoes were weak and it’s fairly common for there to be tornadoes within derechos (or lines of storms). These tornadoes did little to…
Multiple tornado touchdowns Tuesday in central Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — After an active evening of severe weather across central Illinois, the National Weather Service (NWS) is confirming at least two tornado touchdowns on Tuesday afternoon. The first tornado touch down happened shortly after 4:00 PM in Auburn, Sangamon County. At least three tornado reports from the National Weather Service have come…
‘No fatalities, thank God’: Tornadoes in Arkansas, Iowa and Illinois damage homes, businesses
Strong storms that brought tornadoes, high winds, hail and rain to parts of the Midwest and South caused extensive damage in some areas but no deaths, officials said Sunday. Tornadoes were spotted in Arkansas, Illinois and Iowa as thunderstorms swept through the area Saturday. High winds and a possible tornado were also reported in Indiana.…
Tornado touches down east of Oregon
Mary Ann and Rich Rhoads were watching storm updates on TV from their Oregon home Saturday night when they knew one of their rental properties on German Church Road was “in the danger zone”. “We were watching TV last night and they showed the line for German Church Road and they had this big circle…
Elkville community remembers tornado impact for the three year anniversary
Elkville, Ill. (KFVS) – Three years ago this week, Jackson County, IL was hit by an EF-4 tornado. It’s the same tornado that hit Perryville, Missouri, demolishing homes, damaging businesses, and leaving the community in disrepair. Elkville resident Denni Bastien owns the baseball ballpark in the heart of Elkville right off the highway US 51.…
Super Tuesday tornado outbreak–12 years later
JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Twelve years ago on Feb. 4, as voters headed to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2008 primaries, 12 tornadoes tore across the state of Arkansas, killing 14 people. The Super Tuesday outbreak laid waste to everything in its path. One EF-4 tornado stayed on the ground for 122…
2 tornadoes hit parts of central Illinois during weekend storms
(WAND) – The National Weather Service confirms two tornadoes caused minor damage in parts of central Illinois over the weekend. NWS said the first tornado struck Friday evening in northeast Fulton County. A second tornado happened on Sunday afternoon in the extreme northern part of Logan County. The tornado in Fulton County was classified as…
Chicago is not tornado-proof. Here’s why.
Despite being known as the Windy City, Chicago has developed a false reputation as being impervious to tornadoes. In its history, Chicago has seen very few tornadoes compared with the rest of Illinois, which, as a whole, sees dozens of tornadoes annually and has endured the nation’s deadliest tornado, the 1925 Tri-State tornado that left…
Tornado touches down near Lebanon
A tornado touched down near Lebanon Tuesday night. Around 8:30 p.m., the Lebanon Emerald Mound Fire Department posted that the tornado siren was sounding and warned residents to take proper precautions. Chief Adam Mueller said that the storm was visible from the agency’s parking lot and that it stayed in a field about a half…