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F2 tornado in Lake County, Illinois

Tornado April 19, 1996 · Lake County, Illinois

Rating

2.0 mi

Path length

100 yd

Path width

Injuries

$6.6M

Damage as recorded

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NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 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.

The wider storm

The roof was torn off an apartment building. Over 400 homes and businesses sustained damage and 32 received major damage. Five trucks were overturned at a plant. Homes and garages had roof damage. Numerous trees were damaged or blown down. Injuries included a child with a broken leg and a woman cut by glass.

Began near Zion (42.4500, -87.8300).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5541169. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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