1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 16, 2:30 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL 230 PM CST THU FEB 16 2006 .DISCUSSION FOR AFTERNOON ZONES/GRIDS... THE REGION IS IN THE MIDST OF THE CLASH OF 2 SEASONS. THE COMPLEX WINTER WEATHER EVENT HAS TURNED OUT TO ONE OF MOSTLY RAIN AND SLEET FOR NORTHWESTERN ILLINOIS AND RAIN TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. SPRING IS MAKING A BRIEF APPEARANCE IN THE FORM OF A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE CWA...BRINGING SMALL HAIL AND THUNDERSLEET. THE STRONG DIFFERENCE IN AIRMASS ACROSS A COLD FRONT BISECTING THE CWA HAS LED TO THE ISSUANCE OF A TORNADO WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE COUNTIES SOUTH OF THE KANKAKEE RIVER. THE FORECAST GENERALLY FOLLOWING THE NAM12 GUIDANCE IN THE SHORT TERM HAS BEEN RATHER SUCCESSFUL AS IT HAS CONSISTENTLY CARRIED STRONGER WARM ADVECTION IN THE LOWER LEVELS. THE WARM LAYER AROUND 800MB...AS SEEN IN THE NAM GUIDANCE YESTERDAY VERIFIED RATHER WELL AND THE REGIONAL RAOBS AND ACARS SOUNDINGS THIS MORNING ACTUALLY INDICATED A STRONGER WARM LAYER THAN FORECAST...WHICH LED TO THE REGION SEEING MORE RAIN AND SLEET THAN SNOW. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...THE FOCUS WILL BE ON THE CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON. AT 20Z...TEMPS OVER NWRN ILLINOIS WERE IN THE LOW 30S COMPARED WITH UPPER 50 AND LOW 60S OVER EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. THE 18Z SOUNDING FROM ILX IS VERY UNSTABLE WITH CAPE OF 1100 J/KG AND LI OF -5. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS ALSO QUITE IMPRESSIVE WITH SOUTH WINDS AROUND 20KT AT THE SFC VEERING SOUTHWEST AT 55KT AT 875MB. THE SHEAR AND STABILITY PROFILE HAS LED SPC TO ISSUE A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF THE CWA SOUTH OF THE KANKAKEE RIVER. THE SVR CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL WILL REMAIN AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT AS IT PUSHES EWD THROUGH THE CWA. THE FRONT SHOULD CLEAR THE NWRN INDIANA COUNTIES BY EARLY EVENING. THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN A PERIOD OF STRONG COLD ADVECTION AND TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY DROP OVERNIGHT. LITTLE WARMING IS EXPECTED TOMORROW AS HIGH TEMPERATURES STRUGGLE TO REACH INTO THE MID TEENS OVER THE ROCKFORD AREA. THE COLD...DRY ARCTIC AIR WILL CONTINUE TO FILTER OVER THE CWA AND TEMPS WILL REACH THEIR COLDEST LEVELS OF THIS WINTER. BY SUNDAY MORNING...SUBZERO TEMPERATURES SHOULD COVER MOST OF THE CWA. THE ARCTIC HIGH SHOULD DOMINATE THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE BEING FORCED EWD BY THE NEXT UPPER TROUGH WHICH IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION. THE MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE IS POINTING TOWARD MORE ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WITH A SERIES OF WEAK SHORT WAVES RIPPLING THROUGH THE UPPER FLOW. WITH THE POLAR VORTEX SETTLING OVER HUDSON BAY...THE WESTERLIES WILL BE SUPPRESSED SOUTHWARD AND CONDITIONS EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BE CLOSER TO SEASONAL NORMALS. KREIN && .AVIATION DISCUSSION FOR 18Z TAFS... VIS/TSTMS/CIGS/WINDS ALL CONCERNS THIS TAF CYCLE. SFC LOW PRESSURE LIFTING NORTHEAST RIGHT THROUGH FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH AREA OF FEBRUARY TSTMS OCCURRING ON NOSE OF STRONG VORT/THERMAL ADVECTION AS 40+ KT 850 HPA JET PLOWS INTO VERY IMPRESSIVE HORIZONTAL THERMAL GRADIENT. EXPECT HIGHEST THREAT OF TSTMS PASSING NOW...AS 5 MB/3 HR SFC PRESSURE FALLS PUSHING INTO NW IND SHORTLY...THOUGH ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND MORE ISOLATED TS DEVELOPING IN LLVL JET AXIS ACROSS IL. THUS EXPECT SCT RW/TRW MAINLY NEXT FEW HOURS BEFORE DRY SLOTTING RESULTS IN LIGHTER PCPN OR DZ LATER THIS AFTN. VIS/CIGS HAVE IMPROVED A BIT IN WAKE OF MIXING ASSOCIATED WITH CONVECTIVE SHOWERS...WITH CONDITIONS GNRLY MVFR ACROSS WRN/NWRN IL. STILL A CONCERN THAT CIGS WILL GO IFR AGAIN UNDER DRY SLOT LATE AFTN HOWEVER...THOUGH NOT LIKELY LIFR AS WE SAW THIS MORNING. PERIOD OF CAA SHSN OR FLURRIES APPEARS TO BE FAIRLY SHORT THIS EVENING...AS MOIST LAYER BECOMES VERY SHALLOW AND STRONG SUBSIDENCE BUILDS IN BEHIND DEPARTING LOW. THUS HAVE MVFR CIGS AFTER 05Z THEN SCT OUT NOT TOO LONG AFTER IN DRY SINKING ARCTIC AIRMASS. GIVEN SFC WARM FRONT POSITION AND PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED ISALLOBARIC ANALYSIS...APPEARS SFC LOW TRACKING ACROSS SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO METRO. WIND FORECAST TRICKY AS DIRECTION AT KORD LOOKS TO REMAIN NE BACKING TO NNW TOWARD EVEN...WHILE KGYY GOES S/SW AND VEERS NW. WENT WITH SE BACKING NW AT KMDW. OF COURSE...ALL OF THESE SHOWING VARIATIONS IN DIRECTION/SPEED/GUSTS IN CURRENT CONVECTION. ONCE LOW PASSES OFF TO EAST BY LATE AFTN SHOULD SEE EVERYONE COME AROUND INTO THE 320-340 DEG RANGE. SPEEDS THEN INCREASE IN TIGHT PRES GRADIENT AND STRONG COLD ADVECTION WHICH DEVELOPS INTO FCST AREA THIS EVENING. BUFFER SOUNDINGS INDICATE NWRLY GUSTS TO 35 KTS OR SO OVRNGT...GRADUALLY DIMINISHING TOWARD FRI MORNING. RATZER && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .IL...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT THURSDAY LAKE...MCHENRY...WINNEBAGO...BOONE...OGLE...LEE COUNTIES. TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 8PM FOR KANKAKEE...LIVINGSTON...FORD AND IROQUOIS COUNTIES. .IN...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 8PM FOR BENTON...NEWTON AND JASPER COUNTIES. .LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THIS MORNING...GALE WARNING THIS AFTERNOON THRU FRI MORNING. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL 500 AM CST THU FEB 16 2006 ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>022-023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011- 019-162300- WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE IL-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-DU PAGE-COOK- LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON-IROQUOIS-FORD- LAKE IN-PORTER-NEWTON-JASPER-BENTON- 500 AM CST WED FEB 16 2006 THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR A MIXTURE OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND FAR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS THROUGH THIS EVENING. REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MESSAGE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA TODAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF THESE STORMS BEING SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING SOUTH OF A VALPARAISO TO PONTIAC LINE. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH GUSTS REACHING 45 MPH LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED IF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES ARE ISSUED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. REPORTS OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN ARE ENCOURAGED. && COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO LMZ740>745-766-162300- WINTHROP HARBOR IL TO MICHIGAN CITY IN- LAKE MICHIGAN- 500 AM CST THU FEB 16 2006 THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ILLINOIS AND INDIANA WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT GALE FORCE WINDS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...AND PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY GALE FORCE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. HAZARDOUS WIND AND WAVE CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT WILL PERSIST INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. && COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:35 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A brief tornado picked up a construction trailer on Route 1 and threw it into a utility pole. The trailer was severely damaged. No other damage was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2006Warnings in Illinois, February 2006
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5492588.