Tornadoes in Illinois, March 12, 2006

Name: Tornadoes in Illinois, March 12, 2006
Start: 2006-03-12T19:04
End: 2006-03-12T19:29
Location: Illinois

March 12, 2006 · NWS LSX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

What forecasters said that day

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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 12, 5:30 PM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 12, 5:30 PM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
530 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

.DISCUSSION...
THE 12Z SHORT-TERM MDLS (TIL WED)...ARE ALL IN GENERAL AGREEMENT
WITH MASS FIELDS AND FEATURES THRU 84HRS. /GRAND FINALE/ OF OUR
ACTIVE WX PTRN TO OCCUR TNGT AS MAIN SHRTWV EJECTS OUT OF THE
ROCKIES...BUT THIS IS ALSO SIGNALING A PTRN SHIFT FOR THE MID MS
VLY AS LONGWAVE H500 TROF SHIFTS FM THE WRN CONUS TO THE ERN CONUS
AND LONGWAVE RDG AMPLIFIES IN THE WRN CONUS. THIS PTRN SHIFT EXPCD
TO BE COMPLETE BY MID WEEK...AND WL FORETELL A MUCH QUIETER...
COOLER PTRN. AT THE SFC...STG MIGRATORY LO PRES OVR KS WL MOV NEWD
INTO THE GRTLKS RGN BY MONDAY WITH HI PRES BLD IN BY TUES.

FOR TNGT...WRMFNT EXPCD TO BE IN THE NRN FA AT THE START OF THIS
PD...AND SHUD COMPLETE ITS PUSH THRU THE NRN FA DURG ERY
EVNG...SETTING MANY AREAS UP FOR THEIR MAX TEMPS OF THE DAY. LRG
SUPERCELLS OVR WRN MO ATTM WL ENTER INTO A VERY FAVORABLE
ENVIRONMENT FOR TORNADOES AS THEY PUSH FURTHER N...AND THIS WL BE
MAIN FCST THREAT ERY ON. WITH SGFNT MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND
INSTABILITY STILL BHND THESE SUPERCELLS HOWEVER...NOT OUT OF THE
WOODS YET...AND EXPC ADDITIONAL DVLPMT TO OCCUR ALG DRY LN BY LATE
THIS AFTN AS WELL AS MORE ISOLD CONVECTION IN OTR PARTS OF THE FA.
WITH FA IN THE WRM SECTOR TNGT AND ESPECIALLY AFT DRY LN PUSHES
THRU AND SHIFTS SFC WNDS TO SWLY...RATHER DP MIXING EXPCD
AREAWIDE AND WL PREVENT TEMPS FM FALLING OFF MUCH. ONLY EXCPTN WL
BE IN THE NWRN THIRD OF THE FA WHERE STG LO LVL CAA WL HV ALREADY
MOVD IN WITH THE CDFNT. PREFERRED MAV/MET MOS BLEND ON TEMPS.

FOR MONDAY...MUCH QUIETER DAY ON TAP WITH DRY SLOT OF SYS
DOMINATING THINGS FIRST...AND THEN WRAPAROUND CLDS IN THE LATE
MRNG AND AFTN. DP MIXING TO CONT...AND WL PROMOTE WINDY CONDS. STG
LO LVL CAA DURG MRNG/ERY AFTN AND RPDLY FALLING H850 TEMPS WL
FORCE MOST LOCNS TO RECORD THEIR MAX TEMPS DURG THE MRNG WITH
STEADY OR SLOLY FALLING TEMPS IN THE AFTN. PSBL /PARTING SHOT/ OF
SPKLS DURG MID-LATE MRNG IN THE NRN FA.

TES

NAM/GFS HAVE THE SAME IDEA GOING INTO MIDWEEK AS THE SFC HIGH
SINKS SEWD INTO AR BY TUESDAY EVENING. LOTS OF SUBSIDENCE SETS IN
BEHIND THIS WEEKENDS TROUGH...SO KEPT DRY WEATHER GOING INTO
WEDNESDAY. THERE IS SOME DISAGREEMENT WITH TIMING OF SYSTEM WITHIN
THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ON SYSTEM THAT WILL AFFECT THE AREA
WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SO CONFIDENCE WITH LATE WEEK INTO
NEXT WEEKEND REMAINS LOW. LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE ENOUGH MOISTURE
AND LIFT TO INTRODUCE CHC OF RAIN AT THIS TIME...WITH SOME
POTENTIAL FOR MIXED PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTHERN CWA.
TEMPERATURES TUESDAY INTO NEXT WEEKEND WILL BE AT OR BELOW NORMAL.

BRITT

&&

.AVIATION...
FOR THE 00Z TAFS...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS CENTERED OVER NORTHEAST
KANSAS NEAR MHK WITH A WARMFRONT EXTENDING EASTWARD JUST NORTH OF
MCI TO NEAR STL. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER CENTRAL
MISSOURI WITH SEVERAL REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL RECEIVED PAST 10
MINUTES. STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AROUND 50 KTS. SEVERE
STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT UIN AREA NEXT HOUR OR SO.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE/DEVELOP INTO STL AREA BY MID
EVENING.

TPS
&&

.HYDROLOGY...
WL ALLOW FFA TO CONT THRU LATE TNGT. SETUP FOR TSRA IS NOT YOUR
/CLASSIC/ SETUP...AS CONVECTION SHUD BE FAIRLY SHORT-LIVED OVR
THIS AREA WHEN COMPARED WITH LAST NGT...BUT GIVEN THE COPIOUS
AMNTS OF RAFL RECEIVED IN THE WATCH AREA THE PAST FEW DAYS...IT
WON/T TAKE MUCH TO REINITIATE FLOODING IN THESE AREAS...ESPECIALLY
AT LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND MORE VULNERABLE AREAS IN THE ERN
OZARKS.

TWO PRINCIPLE AREAS TO WATCH...A STRIPE OF 2-4 OF RAFL RECEIVED
YESTERDAY AND LAST NGT FM SRN CRAWFORD COUNTY TO NRN RANDOLPH IL
AND SRN WASHINGTON COUNTY IL.

AND ANOTHER STRIPE OF HVY RAFL RECEIVED OF 1-2 FM CNTRL REYNOLDS
COUNTY TO NRN MADISON COUNTY MO.

TES

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
ST LOUIS        54  59  31  49 /  80  10  10  10
QUINCY          43  49  27  45 /  80  20  10  10
COLUMBIA        45  51  28  51 /  70  10  10  10
JEFFERSON CITY  47  53  29  52 /  70  10  10  10
SALEM           60  64  32  48 /  80  30  10  10
FARMINGTON      59  63  32  51 /  80  20  10  10

&&

.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR CRAWFORD-IRON-
     JEFFERSON-MADISON-REYNOLDS-ST. FRANCOIS-STE. GENEVIEVE-
     WASHINGTON.

IL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR BOND IL-CLINTON IL-
     FAYETTE IL-MARION IL-MONROE IL-RANDOLPH IL-ST. CLAIR IL-
     WASHINGTON IL.

&&

WFO LSX

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 12, 3:31 PM CST, 3 hours 33 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
331 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

ILZ064-065-069-070-074-079-101-102-MOZ065-072>075-084-085-099-
131200-
BOND IL-CLINTON IL-CRAWFORD-FAYETTE IL-IRON-JEFFERSON-MADISON-
MARION IL-MONROE IL-RANDOLPH IL-REYNOLDS-ST. CLAIR IL-
ST. FRANCOIS-STE. GENEVIEVE-WASHINGTON-WASHINGTON IL-
331 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...
...TORNADO WATCH 73 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CST THIS EVENING...
...HIGH RISK OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OUTBREAK THROUGH LATE THIS
EVENING WITH A FEW STRONG LONG-TRACK TORNADOES POSSIBLE...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP BY EARLY THIS EVENING AS A STRONG
STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. STORM COVERAGE WILL BEGIN AS
ISOLATED INITIALLY...WITH COVERAGE EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS
EVENING. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO QUICKLY STRENGTHEN TO SEVERE
THRESHOLDS. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS
IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH...HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS AND A FEW
STRONG LONG-TRACK TORNADOES. THERE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BE A
FLASH FLOODING THREAT THROUGH TONIGHT AS ANTECEDENT MOISTURE
CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS ON MONDAY AS THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM PULLS
AWAY. WEST WINDS WILL GUST AS HIGH AS 30 TO 35 MPH.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL CONTINUED TO BE NEEDED TONIGHT. EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT...LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER INTERESTS SHOULD MONITOR
THIS VOLATILE SITUATION AND BE PREPARED TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCY
SITUATIONS.

ILZ058>060-095>100-MOZ018-019-026-027-034>036-041-042-047>052-
059>064-131200-
ADAMS IL-AUDRAIN-BOONE-BROWN IL-CALHOUN IL-CALLAWAY-COLE-FRANKLIN-
GASCONADE-GREENE IL-JERSEY IL-KNOX-LEWIS-LINCOLN-MACOUPIN IL-
MADISON IL-MARION-MONITEAU-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-MONTGOMERY IL-OSAGE-
PIKE-PIKE IL-RALLS-SHELBY-ST. CHARLES-ST. LOUIS-ST. LOUIS CITY-
WARREN-
331 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

...TORNADO WATCH 73 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CST THIS EVENING...
...HIGH RISK OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OUTBREAK THROUGH LATE THIS
EVENING WITH A FEW STRONG LONG-TRACK TORNADOES POSSIBLE...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...CENTRAL
MISSOURI...EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP BY EARLY THIS EVENING AS A STRONG STORM
SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. STORM COVERAGE WILL INITIALLY BE WIDELY
SCATTERED...WITH COVERAGE EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS EVENING.
STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO QUICKLY STRENGTHEN TO SEVERE THRESHOLDS.
THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF
70 MPH...HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS AND A FEW STRONG LONG-
TRACK TORNADOES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS ON MONDAY AS THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM PULLS
AWAY. WEST WINDS WILL GUST AS HIGH AS 35 MPH.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL CONTINUED TO BE NEEDED TONIGHT. EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT...LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER INTERESTS SHOULD MONITOR
THIS VOLATILE SITUATION AND BE PREPARED TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCY
SITUATIONS.

TES

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 12, 6:25 PM CST, 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
625 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

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

0549 PM     HAIL             MEXICO                  39.17N 91.87W
03/12/2006  M0.75 INCH       AUDRAIN            MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

BYRD/BRITT

Local storm report, Mar 12, 6:27 PM CST, 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
627 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

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

0610 PM     TORNADO          WELLSVILLE              39.07N 91.57W
03/12/2006                   MONTGOMERY         MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            LOOKING TO THE NORTH...POSSIBLE BRIEF TOUCHDOWNS. NO
            DAMAGE REPORTED.

&&

TILLY

Local storm report, Mar 12, 6:39 PM CST, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
639 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

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

0632 PM     HAIL             BOWLING GREEN           39.34N 91.20W
03/12/2006  M0.75 INCH       PIKE               MO   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

BYRD/BRITT

Local storm report, Mar 12, 6:41 PM CST, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
641 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

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

0630 PM     HAIL             BOWLING GREEN           39.34N 91.20W
03/12/2006  E0.75 INCH       PIKE               MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

TILLY

Local storm report, Mar 12, 6:54 PM CST, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
654 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

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

0645 PM     HAIL             10 SE LOUISIANA         39.34N 90.93W
03/12/2006  E0.75 INCH       PIKE               MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NEAR CLARKSVILLE.

&&

TILLY

Local storm report, Mar 12, 7:01 PM CST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
701 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

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

0530 PM     TORNADO          5 NE MEXICO             39.22N 91.80W
03/12/2006                   AUDRAIN            MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            LARGE TREES UPROOTED.

&&

TILLY

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:03 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Calhoun

When: March 12, 7:04 PM CST to 7:11 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County, 5 mi NW of Kampsville
Rating: F0
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 39.350, -90.683

A long track tornado that eventually hit Springfield, IL started as a small tornado over northern Calhoun County near the intersection of Hillcrest and Belleview Road on Farmers Ridge, or about 5 miles northwest of Kampsville. The tornado damaged a machine shed, one other smaller outbuilding and downed a few large trees. The tornado also caused damage along Highway 100 near the Illinois River. A barn was damaged and a number of large trees downed. The damage was rated F0. The tornado then crossed into extreme southeast Pike County.

Tornado, Pike

When: March 12, 7:11 PM CST to 7:12 PM CST
Where: Pike County, 4 mi S of Pearl
Rating: F0
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 39.400, -90.633

The tornado that started over northern Calhoun County crossed the extreme southeast corner of Pike County where it damaged a barn and several large trees. The tornado then continued into Greene County.

Tornado, Greene

When: March 12, 7:12 PM CST to 7:29 PM CST
Where: Greene County, 5 mi SW of Hillview
Rating: F2
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 39.400, -90.617

The tornado that stated in Calhoun County and moved across extreme southeast Pike County next moved into Greene County southwest of Hillview and caused damage at a farm in the Illinois River flood plain. Two machine sheds were destroyed while a house sustained roof, window, and siding damage. The damage was rated F1 at this location. The tornado moved across the town of Hillview at approximately 7:15 pm CST. A number of homes sustained minor damage while one two story brick building was damaged. Several large limbs and a few large trees were also down in town. The width of the damage area was approximately 100 yards and the damage intensity was F0. The tornado continued to move northeast and lay a continuous path of mainly tree damage from Hillview to Patterson. Two machine sheds at a farmstead 2 miles southwest of Patterson were destroyed. The width of the damage area was 75 yards wide and was rated F0. In the town of Patterson a number of homes sustained varying degrees of damage while one house trailer was severely damaged. The tornado continued to move northeast over farmlands northeast of Patterson to 1 mile north northeast of the small community of Barrow. Several large grain silos and machine sheds were destroyed while two farm homes sustained varying degrees of damage. Debris from the silos and machine sheds were tossed 1/8 to 1/4 mile to the northeast. The tornado also downed over a mile of high voltage power lines along Highway 106. The tornado moved across the Greene Scott County line just east of Queen Road about 2 miles northeast of Barrow. The damage intensity northeast of Barrow was rated F2.

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 2006 Warnings in Illinois, March 2006

Sources

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: 5495993, 5495994, 5495995.