EF2 Tornado — Grundy, Illinois

2013-11-17 · near Central City, Grundy, Illinois

Event narrative

The tornado formed just northwest of the intersection of E Braceville Road and S Carbon Hill Road where several softwood trees were uprooted. The tornado moved northeast just north of E Reed Road where a single family residence sustained visible damage to its exterior while a metal outbuilding sustained roof and exterior wall damage. A single family home sustained considerable damage near the intersection of Berta Road and Spring Road where two people were injured. The tornado continued into a subdivision north of Spring Road where widespread minor damage occurred to several dozen homes. Several homes received more substantial damage though, including partial loss of roofs and second story walls. The tornado continued into Will County around 12:26 PM CST. Maximum wind speeds were estimated to be up to 125 mph.

Wider weather episode

A major tornado outbreak impacted the Midwest and Ohio Valley on November 17th. A powerful low pressure system across the plains states steered warmth and moisture northward for nearly two days, with dew points rising into the mid 60's. This coupled with temperatures around 70 resulted in unseasonably strong instability for thunderstorms to develop. High wind shear and a cold front sweeping eastward made up the remaining ingredients of an environment favorable for supercells capable of long-lived significant tornadoes. Within the WFO LOT county warning area, ten tornadoes were confirmed, including three EF-2 tornadoes. As the event evolved, the system became linear with numerous reports of straight line wind damage. Behind the thunderstorms, a wake low developed with wind gusts to around 60 mph.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.2372, -88.3033)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 484027. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.