RSS FeedsMay 14 Storm Damage Survey Results in Christian, Macon, Shelby & Vermilion Counties
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 720 PM CDT THU MAY 14 2009 ...SUMMARY OF STORM DAMAGE ON MAY 13-14, 2009... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS COMPLETED AN EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION OF STORM DAMAGE FOR FOUR AREAS ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS FOR THE MAY 13-14, 2009 EVENT. ...IN VERMILION COUNTY... EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS FROM VERMILION COUNTY AND CHAMPAIGN COUNTIES SURVEYED THE DAMAGE SOUTHEAST OF HOMER. HERE ARE THE RESULTS. A SMALL...BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 2.5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HOMER...IN THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF VERMILION COUNTY. THE BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WAS ABOUT 1/4 MILE EAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROADS 100E AND 1050N. THE PATH LENGTH WAS ONLY ABOUT 100 YARDS LONG AND 50 YARDS WIDE. A LARGE 30 BY 80 FOOT FARM MACHINERY SHED WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY THE STORM...WITH SEVERAL LARGE MAIN TRANSMISSION POWER POLES BEING SNAPPED. IN ADDITION...MINOR WIND DAMAGE WAS DONE TO TWO OTHER MACHINERY SHEDS. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 1223 AM...DURING THE EARLY MORNING ON MAY 14...AND WAS ONLY ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF0... WITH WINDS OF ABOUT 80 MPH. ...IN MACON COUNTY... EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS FROM MACON COUNTY SURVEYED DAMAGE IN THE MOUNT ZION AREA. HERE ARE THE RESULTS. AN AREA OF STRONG DAMAGING WINDS PRODUCED DAMAGE IN PORTIONS OF THE MOUNT ZION AREA. ON A NUMBER OF HOMES...DAMAGE OF ROOFING SHINGLES AND SIDING OCCURRED. POWER POLES WERE BROKEN OFF. PORTABLE SHEDS... OR OUTBUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED AND THE METAL ROOF OFF A CAR WASH WAS PEELED BACK. THE AREA OF THE WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED FROM NORTH BALTIMORE AVENUE...NORTH OF EAST FLORIAN AVENUE...TO EAST OF ILLINOIS ROUTE 121...NEAR EAST WOODLAWN LANE. THE WIND DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY AN AREA OF STRONG DAMAGING WINDS... CALLED A REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT. THESE DAMAGING WINDS WERE ROTATING EASTWARD...LOCATED SOUTH OF A STRONG ROTATING THUNDERSTORM JUST NORTH OF THE MOUNT ZION AREA. WINDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE 75 TO 80 MPH RANGE THAT PRODUCED THE WIND DAMAGE...WHICH HIT THE AREA AROUND 1135 PM ON THE EVENING OF MAY 13. ...IN CHRISTIAN AND SHELBY COUNTIES... A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURVEY TEAM HAS CONFIRMED 1 BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN CHRISTIAN COUNTY AND 2 BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS IN SHELBY COUNTY...THAT OCCURRED EARLY THIS MORNING...MAY 14TH, 2009. IN CHRISTIAN COUNTY...THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 4 MILES WEST OF PANA BEGINNING AT 12:04 AM CDT...WITH THE TRACK ENDING 3 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF PANA ONE MINUTE LATER. THE TORNADO WAS RATED AN EF1 WITH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WINDS OF 90 MPH. THE MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS 60 YARDS AND TRACKED THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILE. A POLE BARN WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO A BARN. THERE WAS SOME DAMAGE TO A ROOF ON A HOUSE WITH NUMEROUS TREE TOPS SHEARED OFF. IN SHELBY COUNTY...THE FIRST TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 2 MILES SOUTH OF TOWER HILL AND TRACKED EAST ONE HALF MILE TO 2 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF TOWER HILL. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ONE MINUTE... STARTING AT 12:12 AM CDT. THE MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS 40 YARDS AND WAS RATED AN EF0...WITH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WINDS OF 80 MPH. A SHED WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED...WITH FRONT PORCHES OFF SEVERAL HOMES. SHINGLES WERE TORN OFF HOUSES WITH DAMAGE TO TREES IN THE AREA. THE SECOND TORNADO IN SHELBY COUNTY OCCURRED 1 MILE SOUTHWEST OF SHELBYVILLE AT 12:22 AM CDT AND WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ONLY 2 MINUTES. THE TORNADO TRACKED TO THE EAST A MILE AND A QUARTER...TO ONE HALF MILE SOUTHEAST OF SHELBYVILLE. THE MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS 50 YARDS AND WAS RATED AN EF0 WITH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WINDS OF BETWEEN 70 AND 75 MPH. THERE WERE NUMEROUS SHALLOW ROOTED TREES TORN OR UPROOTED. A CARPORT WAS DESTROYED WITH PORCHES TORN AWAY FROM HOMES. 2 SMALL METAL SHEDS...WHICH WERE NOT ANCHORED...WERE DESTROYED. IN ADDITION TO THE 3 BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM ALSO CONFIRMED THAT A DOWNBURST OCCURRED 4 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF SHELBYVILLE...STARTING AT 12:18 AM CDT AND ENDED AT 12:22 AM CDT. THE STORM PATH WAS ONE HALF MILE WIDE AND 3 MILES LONG WITH THE DAMAGE PATH FROM THE DOWNBURST ENDING ON THE WEST SIDE OF SHELBYVILLE...NEAR THE HOSPITAL. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DAMAGED ALONG THE PATH OF THE STORM. PORCHES ON HOMES WERE DAMAGED WITH POWER POLES DOWN. ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE... EF0...65-85 MPH EF1...86-110 MPH EF2...111-135 MPH EF3...136-165 MPH EF4...166-200 MPH EF5...OVER 200 MPH $$
