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F1 tornado in Macon County, Illinois

Tornado April 18, 1996 · Macon County, Illinois

F1
Rating
2.5 mi
Path length
220 yd
Path width
9
Injuries
$1.5M
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 220 yards (0.12 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 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

A tornado touched down in the southeastern portions of Decatur. The initial touchdown was near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Marion St. on the northwestern corner of Mueller Park. The path of the storm then moved a little north of east, with damage centered along Lincoln Street to about 19th Street. At that point the damage path center appeared to move somewhat to the north, crossing 22nd Street between Cantrell and Roosevelt. The path then went across the Nelson Park Golf Course, where it knocked down over 100 trees, then crossed over the western portion of the Hwy 36 bridge before lifting. 88 homes were either damaged or destroyed, as well as, numerous businesses. Nine people sustained minor injuries. Also, 6 large utility poles on the Illinois Hwy 36 bridge were blown over, which trapped several motorists in their cars, though no one was injured. The damage is estimated around $1.5 million.

Began near Decatur (39.8300, -88.9500).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5543728. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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