Central Illinois

Weather Forecast Office

Severe Weather Outbreak of 3/6 and 3/7/2017

Overview

An intense line of thunderstorms raced across central Illinois between late evening Monday and early morning Tuesday, March 6-7. This line of storms had originated across western Iowa and eastern Nebraska during the afternoon hours, and caused significant damage all along its path. Most of the severe weather reports received in central Illinois were caused by strong winds. However, three tornadoes occurred, one in northeast Mason County and two in southwest Tazewell County.

Tornado
Radar
Storm Reports

Tornadoes:

Tornado #1 -- Easton
Mason County

Date	3/6/2017
Time (CST)	11:52 - 11:57 pm
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	110 mph
Path Length	6.9 miles
Max Width	150 yards
Injuries/Deaths	None
Summary: This tornado touched down 2.2 miles north-northwest of Easton, and raced to the northeast. The greatest damage was at a homestead 2.5 miles north of Easton, where a machine shed was severely damaged, with most of its roof removed and part of the north wall bowed out. A nearby house under renovation sustained damage as well, with part of the east wall blown out, but lack of windows likely resulted in a wind tunnel effect that caused that damage. From here to the end of the track, most of the damage was to power poles or overturned irrigation rigs. However, a farm along county road 2930E (about 3/4 mile south of US-136) received damage as well. A grain silo had half of its peaked roof caved in, and part of a machine shed had a couple smaller wall pieces blown out.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File


North of Easton	Northeast of Easton	Northeast of Easton	North of US-136

Tornado #2 -- Green Valley
Tazewell County

Date	3/7/2017
Time (CST)	12:00 - 12:06 am
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	105 mph
Path Length	7.5 miles
Max Width	150 yards
Injuries/Deaths	None
Summary: The tornado began along Wagonseller Rd. about 5 miles southwest of Green Valley, in far southwest Tazewell County, traveling to the northeast at 65 mph. The tornado widened to around 150 yards across and increased in intensity to EF-1, as it destroyed an outbuilding and a historic single room schoolhouse about 4 miles southwest of Green Valley. It continued to move northeast through mainly open fields, bud did produce EF-1 damage to 2 grain bins. More EF-1 damage occurred to a barn and nearby trees along Towerline Rd. The tornado dissipated about 3 miles east-northeast of Green Valley.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File


Southwest of Green Valley	Southeast of Green Valley	East of Green Valley	Southwest of Green Valley

Tornado #3 -- Delavan
Tazewell County

Date	3/7/2017
Time (CST)	12:09 - 12:13 am
EF Rating	EF-2
Est. Peak Winds	115 mph
Path Length	2.8 miles
Max Width	200 yards
Injuries/Deaths	None
Summary: The tornado touched down in an open field 1.4 miles north-northeast of Delavan, moving northeast at 65 mph. It widened to 200 yards and caused EF-2 damage to one outbuilding, and EF-1 damage to several other outbuildings and trees, tossing much of the damaged material for a miles in a debris path to the northeast. It continued to do EF-1 damage, before dissipating in an open field 4.1 miles northeast of Delavan.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File


Northeast of Delavan	Northeast of Delavan	Northeast of Delavan	Northeast of Delavan

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Radar:


Figure 1: 11:52 pm Radar	Figure 2: 11:56 pm Radar	Figure 3: 12:01 am Radar	Figure 4: 12:05 am Radar

The line of storms that moved across central Illinois the night of March 6-7 was referred to as a "Quasi-Linear Convective System", or QLCS for short. These types of storms, while largely producing straight-line wind damage, will sometimes have small circulations develop along part of the line. In Figure 1, at 11:52 pm, the Doppler radar image on the right shows a circulation inside the yellow circle (green colors indicate air movement toward the radar, which is off the southeast corner of the picture, and red colors indicate air movement away from the radar). About in the same area, the standard radar image (on the left) shows a small notch near the tip of the white arrow, which indicates a favored area for tornado development. This is still seen in the images in Figure 2. By 12:01 am, Figure 3 shows that the original circulation is starting to weaken (yellow circle), and a new one is starting to form further south (orange circle), and this trend continues in Figure 4. The orange circle represents the circulation that developed into the Delavan tornado.

The image below shows the line of storms as it tracked into central Illinois.

Radar loop, courtesy NWS Quad Cities

Storm Reports


Click here for an interactive mapping

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
351 PM CST TUE MAR 07 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1100 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG 4 NW BLOOMINGTON        40.51N 89.03W
03/06/2017                   MCLEAN             IL   NEWSPAPER

            GRADIENT WINDS CAUSED A TREE TO FALL ALONG THE 1200 BLOCK
            OF WEST COLLEGE AVE. REPORTED BY BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH

1100 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HUNTSVILLE              40.18N 90.87W
03/06/2017                   SCHUYLER           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ROOF DAMAGE TO HOUSE IN HUNTSVILLE

1105 PM     TSTM WND GST     GALESBURG AIRPORT       40.94N 90.43W
03/06/2017  M55.00 MPH       KNOX               IL   AWOS

1107 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GALESBURG               40.95N 90.38W
03/06/2017                   KNOX               IL   NEWSPAPER

            CAR CRUSHED BY FALLING TREE NEAR KNOX COLLEGE. REPORTED
            BY GALESBURG REGISTER-MAIL

1111 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ABINGDON                40.80N 90.40W
03/06/2017                   KNOX               IL   MESONET

            SHEET METAL BLOWN OFF BUILDING. SWOP REPORT

1120 PM     HAIL             BEARDSTOWN              40.01N 90.43W
03/06/2017  M1.00 INCH       CASS               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

1126 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 W MAQUON              40.80N 90.19W
03/06/2017                   KNOX               IL   PUBLIC

            POWER POLE BLOWN OVER NEAR INTERSECTION OF 1200E AND 650N

1128 PM     HAIL             7 N FAIRVIEW            40.75N 90.19W
03/06/2017  M1.00 INCH       KNOX               IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

1133 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 W CANTON              40.56N 90.06W
03/06/2017                   FULTON             IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            10 POWER POLES SNAPPED AT THE BASE NEAR THE CORRECTIONAL
            CENTER.

1134 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 N BLUFF CITY          40.20N 90.23W
03/06/2017                   FULTON             IL   PUBLIC

            SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN AND DAMAGE TO A BARN.

1137 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 SSW HAVANA            40.24N 90.09W
03/06/2017                   MASON              IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREE BLOWN INTO A HOUSE IN MATANZAS BEACH.

1137 PM     TSTM WND DMG     FARMINGTON              40.70N 90.00W
03/06/2017                   FULTON             IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            LARGE OBJECT FELL ON A HOUSE.

1143 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SSW MORTON            40.59N 89.47W
03/06/2017                   TAZEWELL           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEMI BLOWN OVER ON I-155 AT MAIN ST. EXIT.

1143 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 NW BANNER             40.54N 89.94W
03/06/2017                   FULTON             IL   PUBLIC

            TREE SNAPPED SEVERAL FEET OFF THE GROUND. LOCATED IN
            COMMUNITY OF MONTEREY. PUBLIC REPORT VIA TWITTER.

1145 PM     HAIL             5 NNW PEORIA            40.81N 89.64W
03/06/2017  E0.75 INCH       PEORIA             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NEAR INTERSECTION OF ALTA AND ALLEN ROADS

1147 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PRINCEVILLE             40.93N 89.76W
03/06/2017                   PEORIA             IL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            12 INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMB DOWN.

1149 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST BLOOMINGTON AIRPORT     40.48N 88.92W
03/06/2017  M52.00 MPH       MCLEAN             IL   AWOS

            GRADIENT WINDS AHEAD OF THUNDERSTORMS

1151 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 W EASTON              40.23N 89.87W
03/06/2017                   MASON              IL   NWS STORM SURVEY

            SOUTH WALL AND HALF OF ROOF OF MACHINE SHED BLOWN OUT.

1153 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PRINCEVILLE             40.93N 89.76W
03/06/2017                   PEORIA             IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            12-INCH TREE LIMB BLOWN DOWN

1153 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 N EASTON              40.29N 89.83W
03/06/2017                   MASON              IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            IRRIGATION UNIT FLIPPED NEAR INTERSECTION OF 1600N AND
            2800E.

1158 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MASON CITY              40.20N 89.70W
03/06/2017                   MASON              IL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            7 FOOT PRIVACY FENCE BLOWN DOWN. FIVE OF THE POSTS WERE
            SNAPPED AT THE BASE. RELAYED VIA WMBD-TV

1200 AM     TSTM WND GST     PEORIA INTERNATIONAL AI 40.67N 89.68W
03/07/2017  M51.00 MPH       PEORIA             IL   ASOS

1200 AM     HAIL             JACKSONVILLE            39.73N 90.23W
03/07/2017  E0.88 INCH       MORGAN             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

1201 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 WSW CHILLICOTHE       40.91N 89.53W
03/07/2017                   PEORIA             IL   NEWSPAPER

            SEVERAL POWER POLES DOWN ALONG KRAUSE ROAD BETWEEN
            CLOVERDALE AND SPILLMAN ROADS. REPORTED BY PEORIA
            JOURNAL-STAR

1201 AM     TSTM WND DMG     4 W HENRY               41.11N 89.44W
03/07/2017                   MARSHALL           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            2 STORY BARN DESTROYED, COB SHED WALL BLOWN DOWN, POWER
            LINES AND POWER POLES DOWN, 4 FOOT DIAMETER TREE SNAPPED.

1202 AM     TSTM WND GST     BELLEVUE                40.69N 89.67W
03/07/2017  M63.00 MPH       PEORIA             IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

1205 AM     TSTM WND DMG     5 E MASON CITY          40.19N 89.61W
03/07/2017                   MASON              IL   NWS STORM SURVEY

            PART OF METAL ROOF PEELED BACK, JUST WEST OF LOGAN COUNTY
            BORDER.

1205 AM     TSTM WND GST     HENRY                   41.11N 89.36W
03/07/2017  E50.00 MPH       MARSHALL           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SMALL LIMBS DOWN

1207 AM     HAIL             1 W WASHINGTON          40.70N 89.45W
03/07/2017  M0.88 INCH       TAZEWELL           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

1208 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 NE DELAVAN            40.39N 89.52W
03/07/2017                   TAZEWELL           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ON A HOG FARM, A MACHINE SHED WAS DAMAGED, A CORN RIB WAS
            TWISTED, BUT HOUSE WAS NOT DAMAGED.

1208 AM     TSTM WND DMG     4 WNW WASHBURN          40.94N 89.36W
03/07/2017                   MARSHALL           IL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            TWO CARS FROM A 108-CAR TRAIN WERE BLOWN OFF THE TRACKS
            BETWEEN CHILLICOTHE AND WILBERN. REPORTED BY PEORIA
            JOURNAL-STAR

1209 AM     FUNNEL CLOUD     HOPEDALE                40.42N 89.42W
03/07/2017                   TAZEWELL           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            UP AND DOWN FUNNEL CLOUD. POPPING IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS.
            TRAVELING BETWEEN DELAVAN, HOPEDALE AND MINIER.

1211 AM     TSTM WND GST     WASHINGTON              40.70N 89.44W
03/07/2017  M53.00 MPH       TAZEWELL           IL   MESONET

            APRS MESONET

1215 AM     TSTM WND GST     4 NW BLOOMINGTON        40.53N 89.02W
03/07/2017  E55.00 MPH       MCLEAN             IL   MESONET

            ALSO PERIODIC SMALL HAIL. SMALL BRANCHES ALSO DOWN. SWOP
            REPORT

1215 AM     TSTM WND GST     TREMONT                 40.53N 89.49W
03/07/2017  M62.00 MPH       TAZEWELL           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

1222 AM     TSTM WND GST     CAPITAL AIRPORT         39.84N 89.68W
03/07/2017  M52.00 MPH       SANGAMON           IL   ASOS

1223 AM     TSTM WND DMG     WENONA                  41.05N 89.05W
03/07/2017                   MARSHALL           IL   PUBLIC

            TREE BRANCHES BROKEN. REPORTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

1225 AM     TSTM WND GST     WILLIAMSVILLE           39.95N 89.56W
03/07/2017  E55.00 MPH       SANGAMON           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

1225 AM     HAIL             WILLIAMSVILLE           39.95N 89.56W
03/07/2017  E0.75 INCH       SANGAMON           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

1226 AM     TSTM WND DMG     LINCOLN                 40.15N 89.37W
03/07/2017                   LOGAN              IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            STORM SIREN BLOWN OVER ON PULASKI STREET ON SOUTHEAST
            SIDE OF TOWN.

1234 AM     TSTM WND DMG     3 N SHIRLEY             40.46N 89.03W
03/07/2017                   MCLEAN             IL   NWS EMPLOYEE

            IN HEARTLAND HILLS SUBDIVISION, 12 HOUSES WITH SHINGLE
            DAMAGE, SEVERAL WITH DAMAGING TO FASCIA ON GARAGES. TWO
            FENCE SECTIONS BLOWN OVER. STOP SIGN BLOWN DOWN. ALL
            DAMAGE ON WEST FACING SURFACES.

1234 AM     TSTM WND DMG     RIVERTON                39.85N 89.54W
03/07/2017                   SANGAMON           IL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            SMALL TRAILER OVERTURNED. RELAYED VIA WICS-TV SOCIAL
            MEDIA

1236 AM     TSTM WND GST     NORMAL                  40.52N 89.00W
03/07/2017  M67.00 MPH       MCLEAN             IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            REPORTED AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY. RELAYED BY CAMPUS
            EMERGENCY MANAGER

1236 AM     TSTM WND DMG     NORMAL                  40.52N 89.00W
03/07/2017                   MCLEAN             IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ON ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, A PORTION OF THE
            WILKINS HALL ROOF WAS TORN OFF AND THROWN INTO A STUDENT
            APARTMENT. REPORTED BY CAMPUS EMERGENCY MANAGER

1237 AM     TSTM WND DMG     N NORMAL                40.52N 89.00W
03/07/2017                   MCLEAN             IL   PUBLIC

            FENCE BLOWN OVER AND MAILBOX RIPPED OFF POST. SLIGHT
            SIDING DAMAGE. LOCATED ON NORTH SIDE OF NORMAL.

1241 AM     TSTM WND DMG     HEYWORTH                40.31N 88.98W
03/07/2017                   MCLEAN             IL   PUBLIC

            SMALL TREES DOWN. REPORT VIA TWITTER

1247 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST WILLARD AIRPORT         40.04N 88.28W
03/07/2017  M49.00 MPH       CHAMPAIGN          IL   ASOS

            GRADIENT WINDS AHEAD OF STORMS

1255 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST CRAWFORD COUNTY AIRPORT 39.02N 87.65W
03/07/2017  M48.00 MPH       CRAWFORD           IL   AWOS

            GRADIENT WINDS AHEAD OF STORMS

0122 AM     TSTM WND GST     DECATUR AIRPORT         39.83N 88.87W
03/07/2017  M51.00 MPH       MACON              IL   ASOS

0126 AM     TSTM WND DMG     OCONEE                  39.29N 89.11W
03/07/2017                   SHELBY             IL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            SMALL SHED DESTROYED. RELAYED VIA WICS-TV SOCIAL MEDIA

0138 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 NE BETHANY            39.66N 88.71W
03/07/2017                   MOULTRIE           IL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            GRAIN BIN BLOWN OFF ITS FOUNDATION. TIME AND LOCATION
            APPROXIMATE. RECEIVED VIA WAND-TV FACEBOOK PAGE.

0145 AM     TSTM WND GST     SUMNER                  38.72N 87.86W
03/07/2017  E50.00 MPH       LAWRENCE           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

0152 AM     TSTM WND DMG     4 NW WINDSOR            39.48N 88.65W
03/07/2017                   SHELBY             IL   MESONET

            SMALL BOAT OVERTURNED. SWOP REPORT

0152 AM     TSTM WND DMG     ARTHUR                  39.72N 88.47W
03/07/2017                   DOUGLAS            IL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            ROOF PARTIALLY TORN OFF BUILDING. SIGN AND FENCE DAMAGED.
            POWER LINES DOWN. REPORTED VIA WAND-TV

0202 AM     HAIL             HOOPESTON               40.47N 87.67W
03/07/2017  M0.88 INCH       VERMILION          IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ALSO, WINDS ESTIMATED AT 50+ MPH.

0205 AM     TSTM WND GST     EFFINGHAM COUNTY AIRPOR 39.07N 88.54W
03/07/2017  M53.00 MPH       EFFINGHAM          IL   AWOS

0205 AM     TSTM WND DMG     3 NE DELAVAN            40.40N 89.50W
03/07/2017                   TAZEWELL           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            LOCATION- 22271 TOBOGAN ROAD. 3 GRAIN BINS AND MACHINE

            SHED DESTROYED. ALSO, A HORSE BARN RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE.

0205 AM     TSTM WND DMG     SW GREEN VALLEY         40.41N 89.64W
03/07/2017                   TAZEWELL           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            LOCATION- INTERSECTION OF SHAY AND HAMANN ROADS. TOWNSHIP
            BUILDING DESTROYED.

0210 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SE MATTOON            39.46N 88.34W
03/07/2017                   COLES              IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEMI BLOWN OVER AT I-57 AT MILE MARKER 187.

0217 AM     TSTM WND DMG     ALLERTON                39.92N 87.94W
03/07/2017                   VERMILION          IL   PUBLIC

            SHED DAMAGED. REPORT VIA TWITTER

0217 AM     TSTM WND GST     COLES COUNTY AIRPORT    39.48N 88.28W
03/07/2017  M52.00 MPH       COLES              IL   ASOS

0220 AM     TSTM WND DMG     1 W ALVIN               40.31N 87.63W
03/07/2017                   VERMILION          IL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREE DOWN BLOCKING ROUTE 119. REPORT RELAYED BY EMA.

0225 AM     TSTM WND GST     VERMILION COUNTY AIRPOR 40.20N 87.60W
03/07/2017  M52.00 MPH       VERMILION          IL   AWOS

0253 AM     TSTM WND DMG     10 SE PARIS             39.51N 87.56W
03/07/2017                   EDGAR              IL   PUBLIC

            LARGE LIMB DOWN

0600 AM     HEAVY RAIN       LAWRENCEVILLE           38.73N 87.69W
03/07/2017  M1.08 INCH       LAWRENCE           IL   ASOS

0600 AM     HEAVY RAIN       6 SSE CLAY CITY         38.61N 88.31W
03/07/2017  M1.35 INCH       CLAY               IL   CO-OP OBSERVER

0630 AM     HEAVY RAIN       FLORA                   38.67N 88.48W
03/07/2017  M1.10 INCH       CLAY               IL   CO-OP OBSERVER

0630 AM     HEAVY RAIN       1 S FLORA               38.66N 88.48W
03/07/2017  M1.24 INCH       CLAY               IL   MESONET

            SWOP REPORT.

0746 AM     HEAVY RAIN       1 E OLNEY               38.73N 88.07W
03/07/2017  M1.38 INCH       RICHLAND           IL   COCORAHS

0800 AM     HEAVY RAIN       OLNEY                   38.73N 88.09W
03/07/2017  M1.32 INCH       RICHLAND           IL   CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM     HEAVY RAIN       BRIDGEPORT              38.71N 87.76W
03/07/2017  M1.23 INCH       LAWRENCE           IL   CO-OP OBSERVER

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