National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

A strong cold front moved southeast across Missouri and Illinois on Wednesday, April 7. Broken lines of thunderstorms formed along and immediately ahead of the front during the afternoon. This prompted the issuance of Tornado Watch 61 at 1:25 P.M.

• Isolated strong to severe thunderstorm cells moved into southeast Missouri and southern Illinois during the mid and late afternoon hours. A survey of very localized wind damage in northwest Jackson County, Illinois revealed a small EF-0 tornado occurred there. NWS personnel released the damage survey results in a Public Information Statement. Otherwise, most of the storms before sunset were generally below severe limits.
• Beginning around 7:30 P.M., the storms organized into more intense lines and bows as they crossed western Kentucky and southwest Indiana. These linear storm structures produced locally high winds and even some damage. There were two locations where wind gusts were measured around 70 mph. A wind gust to 71 mph was measured at a school weather station near Mount Vernon, Indiana (Posey County). Portions of an elementary school roof were blown off in nearby Farmersville, Indiana. The other location where wind gusts exceeded 70 mph was Owensboro, KY. The automated observing system at the Owensboro airport measured a gust to 73 mph. A wind gust to 64 mph was measured at a community college on the other side of Owensboro. Wind gusts were measured close to 60 mph near Madisonville and Hopkinsville, KY.
• Preliminary listing of local storm reports for the entire severe weather episode.

Photo of minor roof damage caused by the tornado near Crain, Illinois...taken by Kevin Askew.

Photo of tree damage at Crain, taken by Kevin Askew...

Photo of dime-size hail near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, courtesy of Jake Ruebel.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
924 PM CDT WED APR 07 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0320 PM     HAIL             2 S GRANDIN             36.80N 90.82W
04/07/2010  E0.50 INCH       RIPLEY             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL LASTED ABOUT 1 MINUTE

0430 PM     TSTM WND DMG     CRAIN                   37.78N 89.51W
04/07/2010                   JACKSON            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            POSSIBLE TORNADO. TREE BROKEN OFF - POWER LINE DOWN -
            LIGHT DAMAGE TO HOUSE AND OUTBUILDING - LIGHT DEBRIS.

0430 PM     HAIL             ZALMA                   37.14N 90.08W
04/07/2010  M0.50 INCH       BOLLINGER          MO   BROADCAST MEDIA

            SPOTTER REPORT RELAYED FROM KFVS CHANNEL 12.

0446 PM     TSTM WND DMG     VERGENNES               37.90N 89.34W
04/07/2010                   JACKSON            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREE DOWN ON ROUTE 3...WINDS ESTIMATED AROUND 60 MPH.

0502 PM     HAIL             2 N DUTCHTOWN           37.28N 89.66W
04/07/2010  M0.88 INCH       CAPE GIRARDEAU     MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NICKEL SIZED HAIL 2 MI N OF DUTCHTOWN

0504 PM     HAIL             E GORDONVILLE           37.31N 89.67W
04/07/2010  M0.75 INCH       CAPE GIRARDEAU     MO   BROADCAST MEDIA

            THREE QUARTER INCH HAIL REPORTED BY KFVS-CHANNEL 12
            SPOTTER IN THE HILLCREST SUBDIVISION BETWEEN GORDONVILLE
            AND CAPE GIRARDEAU.

0515 PM     HAIL             5 NW CAPE GIRARDEAU     37.36N 89.61W
04/07/2010  E0.75 INCH       CAPE GIRARDEAU     MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

0517 PM     HEAVY RAIN       MULKEYTOWN              37.97N 89.11W
04/07/2010  M4.72 INCH       FRANKLIN           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            RAIN RATE 4.72 IN/HR - MEASURED ON DAVIS VANTAGE PRO 2.

0640 PM     TSTM WND GST     WEST PADUCAH            37.08N 88.74W
04/07/2010  M39.00 MPH       MCCRACKEN          KY   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            39 MPH WIND GUST AT BARKLEY REGIONAL AIRPORT ON LEADING
            EDGE OF BOWING THUNDERSTORM SEGMENT.

0736 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 WSW MOUNT VERNON      37.92N 87.95W
04/07/2010                   POSEY              IN   BROADCAST MEDIA

            ROOF BLOWN OFF OF BUILDING AT FARMERSVILLE ELEMENTRY
            SCHOOL. TIME OF DAMAGE APPROXIMATE BASED ON 71 MPH GUST
            REPORTED FROM SCHOOL WEATHER STATION. REPORT RELAYED BY
            WFIE-TV.

0800 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 N EDDYVILLE           37.12N 88.08W
04/07/2010                   LYON               KY   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            GUARD RAIL BLOWN ACROSS ROAD - BLOCKING ROAD - TIME
            UNCERTAIN - CURRENTLY BEING CHECKED BY STATE POLICE. ALSO
            REPORT OF LARGE TRAFFIC SIGN ACROSS ROAD. DETAILS UNKNOWN
            AND BEING INVESTIGED AT THIS TIME.

0805 PM     TSTM WND GST     PRINCETON               37.11N 87.88W
04/07/2010  M47.00 MPH       CALDWELL           KY   MESONET

            WIND 47 MPH AT PRINCETON KY. MESONET REPORT.

0821 PM     TSTM WND GST     MADISONVILLE            37.34N 87.51W
04/07/2010  E70.00 MPH       HOPKINS            KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ESTIMATED WIND GUST OF 70 MPH IN MADISONVILLE.

0825 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MADISONVILLE            37.34N 87.51W
04/07/2010                   HOPKINS            KY   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            WIND DAMAGE - COUPLE OF POWER LINES DOWN - POWER OUTAGES
            - IN MADISONVILLE.

0852 PM     TSTM WND GST     OWENSBORO               37.76N 87.12W
04/07/2010  M64.00 MPH       DAVIESS            KY   EMERGENCY MNGR

            MEASURED WIND GUST OF 64 MPH AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ON
            US 231 JUST PAST BYPASS.

0855 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 W HOPKINSVILLE        36.85N 87.51W
04/07/2010  M60.00 MPH       CHRISTIAN          KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MEASURED WIND GUST OF 60 MPH ON US 68 JUST WEST OF
            HOPKINSVILLE.

0856 PM     TSTM WND GST     OWENSBORO               37.76N 87.12W
04/07/2010  M73.00 MPH       DAVIESS            KY   AWOS

0900 PM     TSTM WND GST     OWENSBORO               37.76N 87.12W
04/07/2010  M52.00 MPH       DAVIESS            KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER REPORTED 52.2 MPH WIND GUST.

0907 PM     HAIL             WHITESVILLE             37.68N 86.87W
04/07/2010  E0.75 INCH       DAVIESS            KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
247 PM CDT THU APR 8 2010

...DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FOR CRAIN ILLINOIS JACKSON COUNTY TORNADO...

THE FOLLOWING IS THE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FOR THE APRIL 7TH TORNADO
IN CRANE.

* EVENT DATE - WEDNESDAY APRIL 7 2010

* EVENT TIME - 428 PM CDT TIL 431 PM CDT

* EVENT TYPE - EF0 TORNADO

* EVENT LOCATION - 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CRAIN TO CRAIN...OR 11
  MILES WEST OF MURPHYSBORO TO 9 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF MURPHSYBORO

* PEAK WIND - 85 MPH

* PATH WIDTH - 50 YARDS

* PATH LENGTH - 1.8 MILES

* INJURIES - NONE

* FATALITIES - NONE

* DISCUSSION/DAMAGE - 2 EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN
  FROM 428 PM TIL 431 PM CDT NEAR CRAIN.

  AMONGST THE DAMAGE...

  1 SMALL FARM SHED WITH ROOF PARTIALLY BLOWN OFF
  1 HOUSE WITH MINOR ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE
  POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN
  3 SIGNS BLOWN OVER
  1 LARGE TREE AND SEVERAL SMALL TREES BLOWN DOWN
  WHEAT BLOWN AROUND