Tornado in Stephenson County, Illinois

This tornado began southeast of Lanark in Carroll County and tracked to the northeast before moving into Ogle County about a quarter mile north of the intersection of W White Oak Road and N Brookville Road. The tornado path then continued for about 5 miles through Ogle County (see NWS Chicago StormData). The tornado then crossed into Stephenson County, just east of the intersection of N Mt. Vernon Road and Montague Road. This tornado caused extensive damage to several farm buildings and also downed a few trees along its path. The tornado dissipated near the intersection of Florence Road and Illinois Route 26. The tornado was rated EF-1 in Carroll and Ogle Counties. In Stephenson County, there was no observable damage so the rating is

EF-U.

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.