F1 tornado, Greenville, Illinois, May 1, 2002

1. F040 to 72 mph

   Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

   Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

3. F2113 to 157 mph

   Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

4. F3158 to 206 mph

   Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

5. F4207 to 260 mph

   Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

6. F5261 to 318 mph

   Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

7. Unrated

   The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Rating

F1

Date

May 1, 2002

Touchdown

1:38 PM CDT (18:38 UTC)

Path length

6.0 miles (9.7 km)

Path width

40 yards (37 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

County

Bond County

Touchdown point

38.880, -89.370

Lift-off point

38.880, -89.320

Record number

89

Six tornadoes struck at virtually the same time near Greenville, Illinois. Eye witnesses reported seeing at least 4 tornadoes on the ground at the same time. The tornadoes did not rotate around each other. They each had distinctive paths and moved rapidly east southeast. The bulk of the damage was to barns, grain bins, and other farm outbuildings and to trees and power lines. Over 35 structures were damaged by the tornadoes. The most significant damage caused by tornado 1 was to the Hillview Nursing Home which lost part of its roof. No one was injured as the staff had moved the residents to interior hallways. The residents has to be transferred to neighboring facilities due to the damage.

Six tornadoes struck at virtually the same time near Greenville, Illinois. Eye witnesses reported seeing at least 4 tornadoes on the ground at the same time. The tornadoes did not rotate around each other. They each had distinctive paths and moved rapidly east southeast. The bulk of the damage was to barns, grain bins, and other farm outbuildings and to trees and power lines. Over 35 buildings were damaged by the tornadoes. The most significant damage caused by tornado 2 was to a rural electric cooperative radio tower and to the F&S Grain Storage Bins facility which suffered major damage.

Six tornadoes struck at virtually the same time near Greenville, Illinois. Eye witnesses reported seeing at least 4 tornadoes on the ground at the same time. The tornadoes did not rotate around each other. They each had distinctive paths and moved rapidly east southeast. The bulk of the damage was to barns, grain bins, and other farm outbuildings and to trees and power lines. Over 35 buildings were damaged by the tornadoes. Tornado number 3 just missed an automobile dealership, however it caused significant damage to a barn, a machine shed, and some damage to a home. This tornado also crossed I-70 and overturned a couple of tractor trailers. One driver suffered minor injuries.

Six tornadoes struck at virtually the same time near Greenville, Illinois. Eye witnesses reported seeing at least 4 tornadoes on the ground at the same time. The tornadoes did not rotate around each other. They each had distinctive paths and moved rapidly east southeast. The bulk of the damage was to barns, grain bins, and other farm outbuildings and to trees and power lines. Over 35 structures were damage by the tornadoes. Tornado number 4 was the weakest, reaching only F0 intensity. It damaged trees and power lines and a few farm outbuildings.

Six tornadoes struck at virtually the same time near Greenville, Illinois. Eye witnesses reported seeing at least 4 tornadoes on the ground at the same time. The tornadoes did not rotate around each other. They each had distinctive paths and moved rapidly east southeast. The bulk of the damage was to barns, grain bins, and other farm outbuildings and to trees and power lines. Over 35 buildings were damaged by the tornadoes. Tornado number 5 crossed US 40 just west of Dudlleyville Road and caused tree damage and damage to a home. The tornado also crossed I-70 overturning a couple of tractor trailers. A total of 5 tractor trailers were overturned by tornadoes 3 and 5.

A series of 6 tornadoes struck the Greenville, Illinois area at virtually the same time. Eyewitnesses reported seeing at least 4 tornadoes on the ground at the same time. The tornadoes were lined up north to south and moved in distinct paths to the east southeast. They did not rotate around each other. The bulk of the damage was to trees, power lines, and farm outbuildings. Over 35 structures were damaged by the tornadoes. Tornado number 6 destroyed a garage and a machine shed sending pieces of the metal roof one-half mile to the east.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

5 minutes of warning. NWS LSX issued a tornado warning for this county at 18:33 UTC, 5 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 19:15 UTC.

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 12:28 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

NWS St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 1, 4:00 AM CDT, 9 hours 38 minutes earlier.

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
400 AM CDT WED MAY 1 2002

CONCERNS FOR THIS FCST PD...

MDT RISK SVR TSTMS OVR MOST OF CWA TDA/THIS EVE
HVY PCPN
TEMP FCSTS
FOG

SFC LOW NOW OVR NRN OK FCST TO DPN AND LIFT NEWD ACRS E CNTRL MO
THIS AFTN AND INTO IN TNGT.  MODELS STILL DIVERGE AS TO LOCATION OF
SFC LOW CNTR AS IT LIFTS ENEWD TWD INDIANA TNGT. ETA STILL FURTHEST
SOUTH AND NGM/AVN STILL HOLDING IT FURTHER N. PROB IS THAT DENSE FOG
HAS FORMED N OF WRM FNT ACRS SRN THIRD MO.

SGFNT SVR WX FCST TO DVLP NR SFC LO AND ALG/NR WRM FRONTAL
BOUNDARY.  SPC HAS OUTLOOKED MOST OF CWA IN MDT RISK FOR TDA AND
TNGT.  THIS FOG DVLPMT HAS COMPLICATED MATTERS AS ELY FLOW N OF LOW
WL TEND TO HOLD IT IN AND MID/HI CLDS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP OVR WRN
MO OVERHEAD TO EXASTERBATE THE PROBLEM. CURRENT PRES FALLS STILL IN
OK NEAR LOW AS IT BEGINS TO DEEPEN SLOWLY.

MODELS ALL DVLP PCPN IN COLD AIR OVR NRN MO/CNTRL IL TDA AND THIS EVE
BUT DO LITTLE IN THE WARM AIR...HWVER COND WILL CONTINUE TO HEAT UP
AND DEVELOP W/TIME TDA. HAVE OPTED TO FOLLOW AVN MODEL AGAIN TODAY
AND ALLOW WRM FNT TO LIFT NWD AS LOW DEEPENS NEWD.  PROB IS WHAT TO
DO WITH FOG/LOW CLDS N OF LOW.  LOOKS LIKE THIS MAY LIFT NWD INTO E
CNTRL MO/SRN IL FOR AWHILE THIS MRNG. HV MODIFIED TEMPS DOWN A BIT
DUE TO COLD AIR PLACEMENT AND THE EWD ORIENTATION OF LLJ.

OFFICE HAS SET UP A STAFFING PATTERN FOR SGFNT SVR WX EPISODE THIS
AFTN/EVE.

NEXT THING IS HVY PCPN. FLOOD GUIDANCE LESS THAN 2 INCHES IN MOST
AREAS AND 1.00 TO 1.50 IN MANY PLACES...PCPBL WATER TOTALS ARE
UNSEASONABLY HIGH HWVR CELL MVMTS WILL BE RAPID AND LOCATION STILL
IN DOUBT...SO WILL MENT LOCALLY HEAVY AMOUTS IN IL ZONES BUT NO
HIGHLIGHTS FOR FLOODING.

STILL IN A QUANDRY ABOUT TEMPS...60S NORTH...FOG MAY HOLD AREAS
ALG/NR I-70 AROUND 70 DEG WITH WELL INTO 80S SOUTH.  IF LOW TREKS
ALG AVN  FCST GUIDELINES LOOK FOR SKIES TO CLEAR AND TEMPS TO JUMP
QUICKLY.

FOG....WL MENT DENSE FOG OVR SRN ZONES THIS MRNG BUT NOT ISSUE AN
ADVISORY AS DAYLIGHT WILL ALLOW FOR BETTER DRIVING VISIBILITIES
QUICKLY.

.STL...NONE

PEDIGO

In the hours before

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-011800-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION...OUTLOOK IS FOR THURSDAY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
615 AM CDT WED MAY 1 2002

THREATS THROUGH TONIGHT...
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT THREAT FOR A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK TODAY
AND TONIGHT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS MUCH OF
EASTERN MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM JEFFERSON CITY TO 40 MILES NORTH OF ST LOUIS TO JUST NORTH OF
EFFINGHAM ILLINOIS. THIS INCLUDES MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA.
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT FURTHER NORTH THAT INCLUDES MUCH OF NORTHEAST MISSOURI
AND THE REMAINING WARNING COUNTIES OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE AREA
COVERED INCLUDES ALL COUNTIES NORTH OF THE LINE OF DELINEATION FOR
MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MOBERLY
MISSOURI TO HANNIBAL AND EAST NORTHEAST TO ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF
SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS. THIS MEANS THE ONLY AREA NOT COVERED BY THIS
OUTLOOK IS A FEW COUNTIES IN EXTREME NORTHEAT MISSOURI AND THE
QUINCY AREA. THESE AREAS MAY BE A LITTLE TOO FAR NORTH AND REMAIN
IN THE COLDER AIR THAT WILL DIMINISH THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER
FOR THAT AREA.

DISCUSSION...
A STORM SYSTEM IS FORMING OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS THIS MORNING.
THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER WAS LOCATED IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA EARLY
TODAY WITH A WARM RONT PIVOTING EAST FROM THE LOW THROUGH NORTHERN
ARKANSAS AND INTO WESTERN TENNESSEE. CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT
THE LOW WILL DEEPEN AND RACE EAST NORTHEAST THROUGH CENTRAL MISSOURI
...CENTRAL ILLINOIS...AND INTO INDIANA BY LATE TONIGHT.  AS IT DOES
WARM AIR WILL SURGE NORTHWARD WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WARMER
AIR FORMING A FOCUS POINT EAST TO WEST ACROSS MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS.

A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE APPEARS TO BE SETTING UP FOR
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS AS WELL AS SOUTHWESTERN INDIANA AND
WESTERN KENTUCKY.KTUDKA DEVELOPING FRONT ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI
AND ILLINOIS WILL BE THE FOCUS OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.  WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR DRAWN NORTHWARD ALONG AND OVER THE
FRONT WILL PROVIDE THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS.  SOME OF THESE
STORMS WILL BE SEVERE ...WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND
A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE. THESE COULD FORM AT ANY TIME TODAY AND
WILL LIKELY BECOME SEVERE WITHIN A A FEW SHORT MINUTES. THIS WILL
REQUIRE AN ADDED STATE OF READINESS ON THE PART OF EVERYONE
TODAY...COORDINATORS...SPOTTERS...MEDIA...AND FORECAST STAFF AT THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.  THE PUBLIC SHOULD KEEP ONE EYE ON THE
SKY AND BE ABREAST OF LOCAL STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WATCHES OR
WARNINGS.

IT WOULD ALSO BE GOOD TO KEEP IN MIND THAT TODAYS WEATHER WILL
BE RATHER DECEIVING. SKIES WILL LIKELY BE GREY WITH LOW CLOUDS
AND FOG IN THE AREA.  YOU WILL PROBABLY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE
STORMS APPROACHING...THEY COULD BE SHROUDED FROM VIEW. THIS WILL
MAKE IT EVEN MORE PERTITENT AND IN ESSENCE, EVEN MORE DANGEROUS
TO THE AVERAGE PERSON AS WELL AS SPOTTERS ALIKE.

EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD REMAIN ON A HIGH STATE OF AWARENESS
THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS SKYWARN ACTIVATION IS LIKELY.  IF FOR ANY
REASON YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO BE A PART OF IT...MAKE EARLY CONTACTS
FOR SOMEONE TO TAKE YOUR PLACE OR ASSIST YOU.

 .OUTLOOK FOR THURSDAY...

THE STORMS THAT ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL RACE ON TO THE
EAST OF THE AREA FOR WEDNESDAY AND COLDER MORE STABLE AIR WILL
OVERTAKE THE AREA...HOWEVER THERE WILL BE ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT THREAT
OF SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND.  KEEP YOUR PLANS FLEXIBLE
ACCORDINGLY.

PEDIGO

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE ISSUED BETWEEN 6 AND 8 AM DAILY...AND WILL BE
UPDATED AS NEEDED.  FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR
THREAT...MAKE SURE TO REFER TO THE ZONE FORECASTS AND THE ACTUAL
WATCH...WARNING OR ADVISORY PRODUCT.

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Salem/Leckrone (SLO), 42 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 18:36 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

The live radar over the trackEvery 2002 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are

14 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.