EF2 tornado in Henry County, Illinois

Tornado March 31, 2023 · Henry County, Illinois

EF2

Rating

26.2 mi

Whole path

200 yd

Path width

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Henry County → Henry County → Bureau County → Bureau County → Whiteside County → Lee County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 200 yards (0.11 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A brief, yet strong tornado tracked north of Atkinson, IL for a few miles, leading to tree damage and damage to farmsteads. Total destruction was noted on one of the outbuildings, with debris scattered throughout the nearby fields. Peak winds estimated at 110 mph.

The wider storm

A very strong system developed on the morning of March 31st and tracked across the state of Iowa. This system pulled unseasonably warm and moist air into the Midwest, which combined with a very favorable wind profile to create a volatile environment for severe thunderstorms. Discrete supercell thunderstorms occurred initially, but quickly transitioned into a QLCS mode. This system produced a historic tornado outbreak for the area, with a record 29 tornadoes on the day, including 13 rated EF-2, 1 rated EF-3, and 1 rated EF-4. This was the first EF-4 tornado in the NWS Quad Cities service area since 1995. 11 injuries were reported, with no known fatalities. In addition to the numerous tornadoes, there were many large hail and damaging wind reports. Maximum straight line thunderstorm winds were estimated at 80 to 90 mph.

Began near Atkinson (41.4750, -90.0584).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

5 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF2 Henry County EF2 Henry County EF1 Carroll County EF1 Jo Daviess County EF1 Carroll County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1086459. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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