September 14, 1928, Tornado and Severe Weather

• During the afternoon and evening of September 14, 1928, severe thunderstorms occurred across the Great Lakes region, including significant tornadoes in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

• The most significant tornado in Illinois hit Rockford, Illinois, killing 14 persons and injuring at least 100.

• Straight-line winds and lightning also caused damage in the Chicago area. Flash flooding occurred along Keith Creek in Rockford, impacting several roadways and a few structures.

1928 Rockford Tornado Story Map

Summary: 

A tornado touched down on the south side of Rockford (Winnebago County) near a residential area east of the Rock River and just south of Harrison Avenue. The tornado damaged a few residences, killing one, and then moved northeast toward an industrial area just west of Kishwaukee Street. Along Peoples Avenue just west of Kishwaukee Street, the tornado hit the Rockford Chair and Furniture Company's Factory B, causing a collapse of most of the structure and eight fatalities. The tornado moved northeast across Kishwaukee Street into a residential area of south Rockford, damaging roofs and windows. The tornado damage intensity increased as it neared 7th Street, where multiple residences were completely destroyed or blown off their foundations. The roof of a structure was lofted from this area and blown several blocks north of the tornado's track, killing three children trying to return home.

The tornado next moved into an industrial area along 18th Avenue, causing significant damage to National Lock Company, Union Furniture Company, and Mechanics Machine Company. At Union Furniture, the roof and some floors collapsed at the southeast end of the building, killing two workers. At Mechanics Machine Company, multiple large window panes were blown out. Across the street, a grocery store, service station, and a few residences were destroyed. The tornado continued northeast into a residential area, damaging windows, siding, and roofs.

The tornado moved into another industrial area along Broadway near 13th Street. The front wall of National Furniture Company collapsed into the street, while the front wall and some floors of Elco Tool Company collapsed. The tornado moved northeast across Woodruff Avenue into the Rockview neighborhood. Multiple houses had damage to windows, siding, and roofs, with two houses blown completely off their foundations into the middle of 9th Avenue near 19th Street. After destroying Carlson Roofing Company's building along Charles Street, the tornado exited Rockford into a rural area.

The tornado caused significant damage to a farm on State Street and another on Guilford Road. The tornado continued to the northeast into northern Boone County, where it missed Poplar Grove just to the north and Capron just to the northwest. Near Capron, multiple farms had significant damage to the west, northwest, and north. The final area of known damage was to an orchard near the Boone-McHenry county line northwest of Lawrence. Although all news and scientific sources from the time indicate a continuous tornado track, the lack of specific damage between Winnebago County and Poplar Grove (in Boone County) suggests that the tornado may have briefly lifted.

This tornado had a path length of approximately 25.8 miles and a maximum width of 325 yards. The tornado began at about 3:20 PM CDT and ended at about 4:05 PM. In total, the tornado caused 14 fatalities and at least 100 injuries. Damage estimates range from $500,000 to at least $2 million, which is equivalent to about $40 million in 2024.

Summary: 

Newspaper accounts indicate that other storm damage occurred in northern Illinois. In particular, a few buildings were damaged in the Chicago area. Lightning may have also caused fires in the Chicago area.

Summary: 

The storm responsible for the tornado in the Rockford area also caused flash flooding along Keith Creek in east Rockford. Photos from the Midway Village Museum show flooding of roads and structures along the creek.