National Weather Service, Lincoln IL -- June 5, 2010 Tornado Outbreak

Tornado Outbreak of June 5, 2010
Updated June 30, 2010 (added an additional tornado in Peoria county)


Tornado touchdown near Yates City, IL. Photo by Jarrod Cook.	Convective outlook from Storm Prediction Center, issued 3 pm.	Tornado outlook from Storm Prediction Center, issued 3 pm. Blue hatched area indicates a 10% or greater chance of tornadoes at least EF-2 intensity.

(click images to enlarge)

A total of 19 tornadoes touched down across the northern half of Illinois, the evening of Saturday, June 5. Damage surveys conducted by NWS offices in Lincoln, Chicago, and the Quad Cities indicated the following tornado intensities:

8 of EF-0 strength (winds estimated less than 85 mph)
4 of EF-1 strength (estimated winds of 86 to 110 mph)
5 of EF-2 strength (estimated winds 111 to 135 mph)
2 of EF-3 strength (estimated winds 136 to 165 mph)

This page details the tornadoes that affected the Lincoln NWS coverage area. Follow the links below for information in neighboring areas.

Quad Cities NWS: Putnam County
Chicago NWS: Streator, St. Anne, Dwight, Chatsworth, Ottawa, Kankakee

Google Maps - Storm Survey
Detailed storm survey tracks, damage descriptions, and corresponding photos along the track, are available on our Storm Survey page for this event.

Radar Base Reflectivity Loop
Click on the globe icon below if you would like to download a zipped .KMZ radar loop (18MB) of this event including tornado tracks.

Tornadoes Affecting Central Illinois:
The following 8 tornadoes affected central Illinois. Click images to enlarge.

Tornado #1: Abingdon (Knox County)
	EF SCALE: EF-0 (less than 70 mph) INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 3.2 miles northeast of Abingdon at 7:34 pm MAXIMUM WIDTH: 10 yards LIFTED: 3.3 miles northeast of Abingdon at 7:35 pm TOTAL PATH LENGTH: 0.1 mile
Tornado #2: Yates City (Knox County) and Elmwood (Peoria County)
	EF SCALE: EF-2 (130 mph) INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 4.5 miles west-northwest of Yates City (Knox County) at 7:56 pm MAXIMUM WIDTH: 50 yards LIFTED: 1 mile east of Elmwood (Peoria County) at 8:07 pm TOTAL PATH LENGTH: 7.8 miles
Tornado #3: Oak Hill (Peoria County)
	EF SCALE: EF-1 (95 mph) INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 2.6 miles east of Elmwood at 8:10 pm MAXIMUM WIDTH: 100 yards LIFTED: 4.1 miles west-southwest of Kickapoo at 8:18 pm TOTAL PATH LENGTH: 4.9 miles
Tornado #4: Edwards (Peoria County)
	EF SCALE: EF-1 (95 mph) INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 4 miles west-southwest of Kickapoo at 8:18 pm MAXIMUM WIDTH: 75 yards LIFTED: 0.7 miles north of Edwards at 8:24 pm TOTAL PATH LENGTH: 3.9 miles
Tornado #5: Peoria - Lynnhurst subdivision to Allen Road (Peoria County)
	EF SCALE: EF-0 (85 mph) INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 6.5 miles northwest of downtown Peoria at 8:32 pm MAXIMUM WIDTH: 100 yards LIFTED: 5.6 miles north-northwest of downtown Peoria at 8:35 pm TOTAL PATH LENGTH: 2.0 miles
Tornado #6: Marshall/LaSalle Counties
	EF SCALE: EF-1 (95 mph) -- Marshall County segment only INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 3.8 miles north-northwest of Wenona (Marshall County) at 8:34 pm MAXIMUM WIDTH: 100 yards -- Marshall County segment only TOTAL PATH LENGTH: 0.8 mile in Marshall County This tornado crossed into LaSalle County 3.7 miles north-northwest of Wenona - across I-39, at 8:35 pm, and continued east through Streator before lifting near the Livingston County border. Further details are available here (courtesy NWS Chicago).
Tornado #7: Tazewell/Woodford Counties
	EF SCALE: EF-2 (125 mph) INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 2.9 miles north of Washington (Tazewell County) at 8:51 pm MAXIMUM WIDTH: 250 yards LIFTED: 2.6 miles south-southeast of Metamora (Woodford County) at 8:58 pm TOTAL PATH LENGTH: 3.1 miles
Tornado #8: Logan/DeWitt Counties
	EF SCALE: EF-0 (80 mph) INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 3.2 miles west-southwest of Beason (Logan County) at 10:57 pm MAXIMUM WIDTH: 300 yards LIFTED: 3.5 miles southeast of Kenney (DeWitt County) at 11:15 pm TOTAL PATH LENGTH: 12 miles

Radar Images (click to enlarge):

Radar loop of storm progression (2.7 MB) (click here for larger images, 4.9 MB)

	7:34 pm: Tornado touches down northeast of Abingdon. While the reflectivity image (left) does not show a well organized structure, the velocity image (right) shows a significant rotation northeast of Abingdon, as indicated by the bright green and bright red shades near each other.
	7:57 pm: These images were taken about 1 minute after a tornado touched down northwest of Yates CIty. The reflectivity image on left shows the classic "hook echo", while the circulation in the velocity image is stronger than earlier. The hook echo began to appear around 7:43 pm, although storm reports and damage surveys did not show any tornado occurring between 7:35 and 7:56 pm.
	8:01 pm: The tornado is just north of Yates City, and is close to crossing the border into Peoria County.
	8:06 pm: The tornado is moving through Elmwood, and will lift 1 minute later. The hook echo persists. The higher reflectivities on the tip of the hook (red pixels directly over Elmwood in the left image) is likely being caused by debris being detected by the radar.
	8:11 pm: A new tornado has touched down 1 minute earlier, about 2.6 miles east of Elmwood.
	8:15 pm: The tornado remains on the ground between Elmwood and Kickapoo, and will lift 3 minutes after these images were taken.
	8:20 pm: The previous tornado has lifted, and a new tornado touches down 4 miles west-southwest of Kickapoo at 8:18 pm. The radar still shows strong rotation (right image) and a hook echo (left image).
	8:24 pm: The tornado lifts just north of Edwards at this time. While a strong rotation is still indicated, the hook echo is losing its structure.