March 8, 2009 Tornadoes

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NOUS43 KLOT 101728
PNSLOT

NZUS12 KLOT DDMMHH
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
1110 AM CDT TUE MAR 10 2009

...PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM SURVEY OF DAMAGE FROM STORMS OF 8 MARCH
2009 ACROSS LIVINGSTON AND KANKAKEE COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...

BASED ON A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ON THE AFTERNOON OF SUNDAY MARCH 8TH WERE RESPONSIBLE
FOR ONE TORNADO IN LIVINGSTON COUNTY AND TWO TORNADOES IN KANKAKEE
COUNTY.  THE LIVINGSTON COUNTY TORNADO WAS RATED EF0 ON THE ENHANCED
FUJITA SCALE AND THE KANKAKEE COUNTY TORNADOES WERE RATED EF1.

THE FIRST TORNADO OCCURRED IN LIVINGSTON COUNTY AROUND 101 PM CDT.
THIS TORNADO OCCURRED SOUTHWEST OF PONTIAC ON COUNTY ROAD 1500N
BETWEEN 1100E AND 1200E. A DETACHED GARAGE WAS DESTROYED AT THIS
LOCATION AND THE DEBRIS WAS DEPOSITED IN A FIELD TO THE NORTHEAST
WITH A PATH APPROXIMATELY 600 YARDS LONG. A HAY BARN AT THIS SAME
LOCATION SUFFERED LITTLE DAMAGE ALTHOUGH A TRAILER CAMPER PARKED
INSIDE THE BARN WAS PUSHED THROUGH THE WOODEN FRONT DOOR BY STRAIGHT
LINE WINDS...FUNNELED THROUGH THE OPEN BACK OF THE BARN.  TOTAL PATH
LENGTH OF THIS EF0 TORNADO WAS 0.5 MILES AND TOTAL PATH WIDTH WAS
100 YARDS. THE TORNADO LIKELY WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ONLY A MINUTE OR
SO.

THE OTHER TWO TORNADOES OCCURRED IN KANKAKEE COUNTY ALONG A STRAIGHT
LINE RUNNING FROM APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF MOMENCE TO 2
MILES WEST OF GRANT PARK.  THESE TORNADOES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN
EMBEDDED IN AN AREA OF SEVERE STRAIGHT LINE MICROBURST WINDS WHICH
PRODUCED MORE CONTINUOUS DAMAGE ALONG THIS PATH.

THE FIRST OF THESE TWO TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 156 PM CDT AT
THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROADS 5000N AND 7500E.  ON THE SOUTHWEST
CORNER OF THIS INTERSECTION...A DETACHED GARAGE AND A STEEL SHED WERE
DESTROYED. A TWO FOOT DIAMETER TREE ALSO WAS SNAPPED AT THE BASE AND
SEVERAL OTHER TREES HAD LARGE BRANCHES BROKEN OFF.  DEBRIS FROM THIS
LOCATION WAS LIFTED AND CARRIED APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS INTO THE
FIELD ACROSS THE ROAD.  THE TORNADO ALSO DAMAGED PROPERTY ON THE
NORTHEAST CORNER OF THIS INTERSECTION.  A CORN CRIB AND A SHED WHICH
SERVED AS A BLACKSMITH FORGE BOTH WERE DESTROYED.  DEBRIS FROM THESE
TWO BUILDINGS WAS SCATTERED TO THE NORTHEAST IN A NARROW PATH
APPROXIMATELY 800 YARDS LONG.  CORN STALKS IN A FIELD TO THE
NORTHEAST APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN FLATTENED AND TWISTED BY THIS
TORNADO.  TOTAL PATH LENGTH OF THE FIRST KANKAKEE COUNTY EF1 TORNADO
WAS 0.75 MILES AND PATH WIDTH WAS 80 YARDS.

THE SECOND KANKAKEE COUNTY TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 200 PM CDT AT
A FARM ABOUT 0.5 MILES EAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROADS
8000N AND 9000E.  TWO BARNS AT THIS LOCATION LOST PART OF THEIR
ROOF.  ANOTHER GARAGE AND ANOTHER STEEL BUILDING WERE COMPLETELY
DESTROYED.  DEBRIS FROM THIS LOCATION WAS LIFTED AND DEPOSITED IN A
FIELD AND TREELINE APPROXIMATELY 400 YARDS TO THE NORTHEAST.  TOTAL
PATH LENGTH OF THIS EF1 TORNADO WAS 0.5 MILES AND TOTAL PATH WIDTH
WAS 120 YARDS.

ADDITIONAL DAMAGE IN KANKAKEE COUNTY ALONG THE SAME PATH OF THESE
TWO TORNADOES...INCLUDING A COLLAPSED GREENHOUSE AT THE SUNRISE
NURSERY ON COUNTY ROAD 9000N...APPEARS TO HAVE RESULTED FROM
MICROBURST WINDS.

ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE...
EF0 - 65-85 MPH
EF1 - 86-110 MPH
EF2 - 111-135 MPH
EF3 - 136-165 MPH
EF4 - 166-200 MPH
EF5 - OVER 200 MPH

$$

LENNING