Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2006

F0 tornado, DeWitt County, Illinois, April 2, 2006

This F0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across DeWitt County on April 2, 2006, touching down at 7:01 PM CDT and reaching 30 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mphthis tornado

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

  2. F173 to 112 mph

    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.

The record

Rating
F0
Date
April 2, 2006
Touchdown
7:01 PM CDT (00:01 UTC)
Path length
0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Path width
30 yards (27 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
DeWitt County
Touchdown point
40.150, -88.730
Lift-off point
40.150, -88.730
Record number
258

The warnings

16 minutes of warning. NWS ILX issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:45 UTC, 16 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 00:15 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 22:45 UTC and running to 02:11 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
22:45 UTC02:11 UTCTornado WatchILX
23:45 UTC00:15 UTCTornado WarningILX
11:00 UTC20:00 UTCWind AdvisoryILX

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 forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:55 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.

The air that afternoon

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.

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z

0.0 hours before the tornado, 11 km from the path. April 3, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2006-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1184 joules per kilogram, CIN -39, lifted condensation level 746 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2006-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 253 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 36 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1184 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1184 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
746 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
253 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
276 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
4.9
0-3 km lapse rate
5.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 12:00Z

12.0 hours after it, 11 km from the path. April 3, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2006-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2 joules per kilogram, CIN 0, lifted condensation level 512 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2006-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 122 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 27 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Surface CAPE
11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
512 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
93 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Decatur (DEC), 37 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
22:54 UTC6860170° 12 kt1001.4
23:43 UTC6860.8260° 32 kt451003.4VCTS SQ
23:52 UTC55.450250° 23 kt431004.4+TSRA SQ
23:54 UTC5651250° 23 kt391004.7TSRA
00:01 UTC55.451.8250° 19 kt301004.4TSRA
00:54 UTC5552160° 5 kt1002.4RA
01:09 UTC55.451.8160° 7 kt1001.7VCTS -RA
01:54 UTC5652180° 8 kt1002.7-TSRA

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

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:03 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.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
23:25 UTCTSTM WND DMGChestnutLogan, ILAIR CONDITIONING UNIT MOVED. SHINGLE DAMAGE TO BUILDING. LARGE DEBRIS IN ADJACENT FIELD.
23:25 UTCTORNADO1 Ne NianticMacon, ILTORNADO ON THE GROUND FROM A NWS TRAINED SPOTTER.
23:25 UTCTORNADO1 Ne NianticMacon, ILTORNADO ON THE GROUND REPORTED BY NWS TRAINED SPOTTER.
23:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGMinierTazewell, ILPOWER LINES DOWN.
23:30 UTCTORNADO 01 E NianticMacon, ILPATH LENGTH 0.1 MILE, WIDTH 30 YARDS. NO DAMAGE. SIGHTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER.
23:30 UTCTORNADO 21 Sw MaconMacon, ILPATH LENGTH 4.5 MILES, MAX WIDTH 300 YARDS. DESTROYED A 6600 SQUARE FOOT BARN 1 MILE SOUTHEAST OF MACON. DAMAGED TREES AND DID MINOR DAMAGE TO A ROOF. DISSIPATED 4 MILES EAST OF MACON AROUND 634 PM.
23:31 UTCTSTM WND DMGMount PulaskiLogan, ILHALF A TREE ACROSS POWER LINE.
23:32 UTCTORNADO 02 Se LincolnLogan, ILPATH LENGTH 1 MILE, WIDTH 80 YARDS. DAMAGED A BARN AND BLEW DOWN A LARGE TREE.
23:33 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Se LincolnLogan, ILWINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF A BASEMENT. HALF OF A BARN ROOF DAMAGED. TREE UPROOTED.
23:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Sw ChestnutLogan, IL4 POWER POLES DOWN.
23:35 UTCNON-TSTM WND DMGWarrensburgMacon, ILROOF OFF OF RESTAURANT.
23:35 UTCTORNADOWarrensburgMacon, ILROOF OFF OF RESTAURANT
23:36 UTCTORNADO 12 Sw ElwinMacon, IL*** 3 INJ *** PATH LENGTH 7.5 MILES, MAX WIDTH 150 YARDS. SNAPPED POWER POLES, DAMGED TREES AFTER CROSSING FAR SOUTHEAST PART OF LAKE DECATUR. CROSSED ROUTE 121 ABOUT A QUARTER MILE SOUTH OF US-36. DAMAGED ROOF OF CREDIT
23:41 UTCTSTM WND DMGDecaturMacon, ILPOWER LINES AND PORCH AWNINGS CORNER OF ROUTE 48 AND GRAND ON WEST SIDE OF DECATUR.
23:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGCiscoPiatt, ILPOWER POLES DOWN.
23:50 UTCTSTM WND DMGCerro GordoPiatt, ILPOWER POLES DOWN.
23:50 UTCHAIL 0.88LovingtonMoultrie, IL7/8 INCH HAIL REPORTED BY NWS TRAINED SPOTTER
23:54 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 W BementPiatt, ILLARGE METAL OUTBUILDING DESTROYED.
23:55 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nw HammondPiatt, ILPOWER LINES DOWN.
23:55 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Wsw BementPiatt, ILPOWER POLES DOWN IN MILMINE.
23:55 UTCTSTM WND DMGBementPiatt, IL10 POWER POLES DOWN. TREE LIMBS DOWN.
23:55 UTCTSTM WND DMGBementPiatt, ILPOWER POLES DOWN.
23:57 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 E ShirleyMclean, ILSILO AND BARN DAMAGE.
23:57 UTCHAIL 1.75StanfordMclean, ILHAIL 1 3/4 INCH REPORTED IN STANFORD
23:58 UTCTSTM WND DMGGarrettDouglas, IL1 TREE DOWN, STORAGE SHED GONE, MACHINE SHED ROOF GONE, DAMAGE TO HOME AND GARAGE.
23:59 UTCTSTM WND DMGBloomingtonMclean, ILMULTIPLE MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED AND SHIFTED OUT OF POSITION ON SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN. GARAGE DOOR BOWED, ONE GARAGE PARTLY DESTROYED.
00:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGArthurMoultrie, ILFARM BUILDINGS LOST PART OF THEIR ROOFS.
00:01 UTCTORNADO 02 Nne WeldonDe Witt, ILNO DAMAGE.
00:07 UTCTSTM WND DMG(Bmi)Bloomington ArptMclean, ILMINOR DAMAGE TO TWO PLANES.
00:07 UTCTSTM WND GST 56(Bmi)Bloomington ArptMclean, IL
00:07 UTCTORNADO1 N SadorusChampaign, ILTORNADO 1 MILE NORTH OF SADORUS REPORTED BY THE EOC
00:08 UTCTORNADO 0TowandaMclean, ILSOUTH OF TOWANDA, NO DAMAGE.
00:09 UTCTSTM WND DMGMansfieldPiatt, ILPOWER LINES DOWN ACROSS US-150 WEST OF TOWN.
00:09 UTCTORNADOLodgePiatt, ILTORNADO ON GROUND.
00:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGLake of The WoodsChampaign, ILSIDING DAMAGED ON A BUILDING. TREE LIMBS ON TOP OF HOUSE. GARAGE DOOR PULLED OUT. SHED LOST PART OF ITS ROOF.
00:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGMahometChampaign, ILTREE FELL ON A HOUSE. OTHER TREES DAMAGED IN TOWN.
00:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGRantoulChampaign, ILROOF AND BROKEN WINDOWS AT REC BUILDING.
00:10 UTCHAIL 0.75ChampaignChampaign, ILJUST NORTHWEST OF I-57/SPRINGFIELD AVE INTERSECTION
00:11 UTCTSTM WND DMGChampaignChampaign, ILSIDING RIPPED OFF A MOBILE HOME.
00:12 UTCTSTM WND DMGChampaignChampaign, ILROOFS OF COUNTY BUILDINGS DAMAGED. MANY TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2006 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 2, 2006

66 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 23:47 PM CDTF0Davis, IA0.230
April 23:57 PM CDTF0Davis, IA0.125
April 24:03 PM CDTF2Van Buren, IA3.0100$30,000
April 24:15 PM CDTF1Van Buren, IA2.050$10,000
April 24:18 PM CDTF1Jefferson, IA0.350$10,000
April 24:19 PM CDTF1Van Buren, IA3.050$10,000
April 24:25 PM CDTF2Ralls, MO3.5350
April 24:46 PM CDTF2Washington, IA1.075$30,000
April 24:59 PM CDTF1Sharp, AR9.5100$100,000
April 25:00 PM CDTF0Saint Francois, MO0.150
April 25:00 PM CDTF1Washington, IA0.150$10,000
April 25:05 PM CDTF0Sainte Genevieve, MO2.040
April 25:06 PM CDTF0Warren, IA0.230
April 25:15 PM CDTF2Saint Clair, IL7.0100111
April 25:15 PM CDTF0Macoupin, IL2.030
April 25:15 PM CDTF0Macoupin, IL0.530
April 25:16 PM CDTF0Henderson, IL0.025
April 25:20 PM CDTF1McDonough, IL12.0233$150,000
April 25:21 PM CDTF0Madison, IL16.050
April 25:30 PM CDTF1Madison, IL2.0100
April 25:31 PM CDTF0Polk, IA0.230
April 25:35 PM CDTF0Macoupin, IL0.120
April 25:37 PM CDTF3Randolph, AR to MO77.08802177$86 million
April 25:41 PM CDTF0Montgomery, IL1.050
April 25:46 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL0.5200
April 25:49 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL2.0100
April 25:50 PM CDTF2Montgomery, IL20.0200
April 25:56 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL1.0100
April 25:56 PM CDTF1Montgomery, IL2.2100
April 25:58 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL1.0100
April 25:59 PM CDTF0Sangamon, IL1.350
April 26:00 PM CDTF2White, AR6.3100
April 26:06 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL0.850
April 26:08 PM CDTF1Christian, IL6.33001
April 26:13 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL1.51001
April 26:14 PM CDTF1Christian, IL6.0150
April 26:17 PM CDTF0Christian, IL0.150
April 26:20 PM CDTF1Christian, IL1.0100
April 26:22 PM CDTF0Menard, IL0.340
April 26:29 PM CDTF3Woodruff, AR38.05005$5.0 million
April 26:30 PM CDTF0Macon, IL0.130
April 26:30 PM CDTF2Macon, IL4.5300
April 26:32 PM CDTF0Logan, IL1.080
April 26:36 PM CDTF0Logan, IL2.550
April 26:36 PM CDTF1Macon, IL7.51503
April 26:42 PM CDTF0Cumberland, IL0.8100
April 26:43 PM CDTF0Scott, MO1.550$20,000
April 27:08 PM CDTF0McLean, IL0.130
April 27:12 PM CDTF0McLean, IL0.550
April 27:13 PM CDTF1McLean, IL1.050
April 27:15 PM CDTF0Champaign, IL0.130
April 27:22 PM CDTF0McLean, IL2.650
April 27:25 PM CDTF0Champaign, IL0.350
April 27:31 PM CDTF0Ballard, KY0.130
April 27:32 PM CDTF3Dyer, TN18.08801670$20 million
April 29:07 PM EDTF1Lawrence, IN0.5100$100,000
April 28:09 PM CDTF3Gibson, TN31.0880644$27 million
April 29:25 PM EDTF1Tippecanoe, IN0.5100$50,000
April 29:37 PM EDTF1Jackson, IN0.5100$200,000
April 28:43 PM CDTF3Gibson, TN8.088026$15 million

All 67 of them

What this means

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.

Sources

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