F2 Tornado — Coles, Illinois

1998-03-28 · near Mattoon, Coles, Illinois

Event narrative

A tornado touched down 1 mile southwest of Mattoon and travelled to the northeast. It damaged 4 homes in the initial touchdown area and then crossed a set of railroad tracks turning over 4 empty 30-ton coal cars. After crossing the railroad tracks, the tornado hit a self-storage facility, where six of the ten buildings in the complex were destroyed. The tin and steel girder buildings were not bolted down to the cement slabs, so they were lifted up, "wadded up" into a big pile, and deposited downstream about 200 yards. Further to the northeast, it damaged or destroyed numerous homes and businesses before lifting. It remained aloft for several blocks, then touched down again, tearing off treetops and damaging several roofs in the area. It lifted again and touched down a final time about a block away. Damage in this area was to tree tops and roofs. Overall, the tornado was on the ground for 1.5 miles and it either damaged or destroyed 120 homes and businesses. Damage is estimated between $2.5 and $3 million. Two people sustained minor injuries and one 9 year old child was seriously injured when a picture frame blew off the wall, hit her in the back, and cut her, causing her left lung to partially collapse.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.4700, -88.3800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5631696. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.