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EF1 tornado in Morgan County, Illinois

Tornado August 19, 2009 · Morgan County, Illinois

EF1
Rating
15.1 mi
Whole path
250 yd
Path width
$395K
Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Greene County → Scott County → Morgan County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 250 yards (0.14 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 tornado crossed from Scott County into Morgan County, then lifted 3.5 miles southwest of Franklin at 135 PM CST. Widespread tree and crop damage occurred along its path. Numerous grain bins and sheds were also damaged. The tornado reached a maximum width of 250 yards as it moved across extreme western Morgan County.

The wider storm

A vigorous upper-level disturbance in conjunction with a warm front lifting northward through central Illinois triggered strong to severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of August 19th. Embedded supercells within a long line of storms produced enhanced wind damage and tornadoes. Seven tornadoes touched down on August 19th, affecting parts of Scott, Morgan, Sangamon, Logan, DeWitt, McLean, and Vermilion counties. The strongest tornado was rated as an EF3 by an NWS Storm Survey as it tracked across southern Logan County. Total damages to crops and property from the 7 tornadoes were estimated to be more than $25 Million.

Began near Murrayville (39.5590, -90.3015).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 194267. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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