EF2 tornado in Marshall County, Illinois

The tornado crossed from Woodford County into Marshall County at 5:31 PM CST. It tracked northeastward through southern Marshall County...destroying outbuildings and damaging house roofs and trees, as it widened to about 600 yards southwest of La Rose. The tornado weakened in southeast Marshall County as it crossed I-39 west of Rutland, then crossed into LaSalle County in the National Weather Service Chicago County Warning Area (CWA) at 5:49 PM CST.

An unseasonably warm and humid airmass was in place across central Illinois on February 28th...with afternoon high temperatures soaring to record levels in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Thanks to these extremely warm temperatures and dewpoints surging into the upper 50s and lower 60s, Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) values exceeded 1500J/kg across Missouri and the western half of Illinois by late afternoon. In addition, a strong mid-level jet streak enhanced 0-6km wind shear to an impressive 60-70kt. While the airmass within the warm sector was initially capped, an approaching upper wave helped weaken the cap and set the stage for strong to severe thunderstorms into the evening. As a cold front pushed across the Mississippi River, supercell thunderstorms initiated across west-central Illinois during the late afternoon and lingered into the evening. These storms produced a total of 4 tornadoes in the National Weather Service Lincoln County Warning Area (CWA), including an EF-3 tornado that touched down west of Washburn in Woodford County. Other storms produced scattered reports of large hail and damaging winds across the area.