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EF1 tornado in Bureau County, Illinois

Tornado April 17, 2026 · Bureau County, Illinois

EF1
Rating
3.0 mi
Path length
300 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 300 yards (0.17 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 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

The EF1 tornado with winds up to 95 mph appeared to start just south of County Road 2200 N in Bureau County, where a barn structure sustained roofing damage. The tornado then moved northeastward into LaSalle County, producing damage to trees and farm outbuildings. Several wooden power poles were damaged just southeast of Mendota before a semi truck was blown over on I-39 as the tornado continued northeastward. The tornado then passed near Meriden, causing additional damage to trees and farm outbuildings before dissipating in an open field northwest of Earlville.

The wider storm

Numerous severe storms tracked across eastern IA, northwest IL, and northeast MO during the afternoon and evening of April 17. Widespread wind gusts between 60-80 mph (isolated 80-100 mph), large hail up to teacup size, and several tornadoes were reported.

The most significant damage occurred in Lena, IL where many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees uprooted, and power lines downed by an EF2 tornado. Very strong straight-line winds also were documented in parts of the area.

Began near Cherry (41.4600, -89.2100).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

EF2 Stephenson CountyEF2 McDonough CountyEF1 Hancock CountyEF1 Hancock CountyEF1 Jo Daviess CountyEF1 Henry CountyEF0 Mercer County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1330580. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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