Tornadoes in Illinois, April 7, 1998

A tornado initially touched down in a farm field and overturned some irrigation equipment 3 miles east southeast of Sepo. Then it travelled to the northeast destroying a mobile home which was anchored, but the only thing left was the floor of the unit. The floor was wiped clean of all plumbing fixtures and walls with only a washing machine and water heater left on the floor. Most of the debris was deposited in the Illinois River about 50 yards away. A couple of three foot diameter trees were snapped off near the mobile home. Also, a nearby machine shed was destroyed and a motor home was rolled three times over the top of the damage and left upside down 30 feet from its original position. Just north of the mobile home, a concrete block pumping station was damaged. The roof was torn off, all of the windows broken out, and one wall was buckled. The tornado then moved across the Illinois River into Mason County. The tornado moved into the Baldwin Beach area, damaging three homes. From there the tornado, hopped and skipped along a northeasterly track, causing spotty damage to trees. The tornado finally lifted and dissipated 7 miles northeast of Buzzville in the Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery area. No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available.