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F3 tornado in Wayne County, Illinois

Tornado April 21, 2002 · Wayne County, Illinois

F3
Rating
31.5 mi
Whole path
500 yd
Path width
1
Death
42
Injuries
$4.0M
Damage as recorded

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

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 500 yards (0.28 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F3 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F3 meant severe damage: whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned; the scale paired it with winds of 158–206 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado entered Wayne County about a half mile north of Illinois Route 15, then proceeded to move northeast to a point about 1.5 miles north of Wayne City. The tornado then paralleled Route 15 just north of Sims. The tornado continued moving east toward Fairfield, and passed through the southern part of Fairfield with F-3 intensity winds. The tornado then travelled slightly south of east toward Golden Gate. The tornado weakened east of Golden Gate and finally dissipated in extreme eastern Wayne County near Ellery. The sole fatality occurred 4 miles west of Wayne City, when a 47-year-old man was killed inside his mobile home. Of the 42 hospital-treated injuries, 13 were critical. A total of 35 homes were destroyed, and 16 received major damage. The average wind speed in the tornado was 130 to 170 MPH, with peak winds at or approaching 200 MPH. The F-3 damage was located near Sims, southern sections of Fairfield, near Merriam, and areas west and north of Wayne City. Vehicles were picked up and deposited in houses. Well-constructed houses lost roofs and some walls. Weaker structures, including a tavern near Sims, were demolished.

Began near Wayne City (38.3500, -88.7000).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5293473. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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