Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2006

F2 tornado, Saint Clair County, Illinois, April 2, 2006

This F2 tornado ran 7.0 miles across Saint Clair County on April 2, 2006, touching down at 5:15 PM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed 1 person and injured 11.

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 mph

    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 mphthis tornado

    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
F2
Date
April 2, 2006
Touchdown
5:15 PM CDT (22:15 UTC)
Path length
7.0 miles (11.3 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
1
Injuries
11
County
Saint Clair County
Touchdown point
38.570, -90.000
Lift-off point
38.600, -89.950
Record number
226

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 21:17 UTC and running to 23:39 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
21:17 UTC23:39 UTCTornado WatchLSX
22:03 UTC22:46 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX

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 Moderate Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. 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), 12:00Z

10.3 hours before the tornado, 210 km from the path. April 2, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2006-04-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -108484, lifted condensation level 985 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2006-04-02The 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 255 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 47 knots.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-108484 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
985 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
255 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
297 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
1.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z

1.7 hours after it, 210 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

The surface observations

Belleville - Scott AFB (BLV), 12 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
20:55 UTC7760.8190° 16 kt211003
21:55 UTC73.464.4160° 14 kt1000.7
22:13 UTC73.464.4190° 13 kt1002TS
22:31 UTC5950250° 29 kt521007.5TSRAGRSQ
22:57 UTC55.451.8250° 8 kt1005.8-TSRA BR
23:24 UTC55.453.660° 8 kt1002.7-TSRA
23:46 UTC55.453.680° 5 kt1003TS
23:59 UTC55.453.6 1 kt1003.4

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

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:16 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
20:00 UTCHAIL 0.75LebanonSt. Clair, IL
20:01 UTCHAIL 0.25LebanonSt. Clair, ILPENNY HAIL REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGER
21:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGGodfreyMadison, ILCAMPERS BLOWN OVER AT CEDAR DRIVE AND PINE RIDGE
21:55 UTCTSTM WND DMGAlhambraMadison, ILTREES AND POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN.
22:05 UTCNON-TSTM WND GST 75MaeystownMonroe, IL
22:06 UTCTSTM WND DMGElsahJersey, ILLARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN ALONG A LINE FROM MADISON COUNTY NEAR INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 111 AND 67 INTO SOUTHERN JERSEY COUNTY.
22:10 UTCTSTM WND GST 64MillstadtSt. Clair, IL
22:10 UTCTSTM WND GST 70ColumbiaMonroe, IL
22:13 UTCTSTM WND DMGCahokiaSt. Clair, ILNUMEROUS POWER LINES AND TREES DOWN ON THE EASTERN PORTION OF CAHOKIA, IL.
22:15 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 S HighlandMadison, ILON HWY 160...1/2 MILE OF POWER POLES SNAPPED AND LINES DOWN. ONE HOUSE COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND ANOTHER HAS THE ROOF BLOWN OFF.
22:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGFairview HeightsSt. Clair, ILPOWER POLES SNAPPED IN HALF ALONG ROUTE 50
22:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGGodfreyMadison, ILCAMPERS BLOWN OVER AT CEDAR DRIVE AND PINE RIDGE
22:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGGranite CityMadison, IL9 RAILROAD CARS BLOWN OVER BY HIGH WINDS...ALSO NUMEROUS POWER LINES DOWN THROUGHOUT CITY. TIME ESTIMATED.
22:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGWood RiverMadison, ILTREE DAMAGE AND .75 INCH HAIL
22:15 UTCTSTM WND GST 60BellevilleSt. Clair, IL
22:15 UTCHAIL 0.75Glen CarbonMadison, ILALSO DAMAGING WIND GUSTS
22:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGAltonMadison, IL18 INCH DIAMETER TREE BLOWN DOWN
22:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGBaldwinRandolph, ILTREES DOWN TREE LIMBS AND WIRES DOWN ACROSS THE ROAD. WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 60 MPH
22:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGFairview HeightsSt. Clair, IL30 FOOT KMART SIGN BLOWN DOWN...SHEET METAL BLOWN DOWN AND STREWN ABOUT...LARGE TRAILER ON ITS SIDE NEXT TO THE BORDERS BOOKSTORE PARKING LOT.
22:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGGodfreyMadison, IL4700 BLOCK OF ALBANY...14 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN
22:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGGodfreyMadison, ILROOF BLOWN OFF
22:20 UTCTORNADO 0O'FallonSt. Clair, IL*** 1 FATAL, 1 INJ *** TORNADO DAMAGE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF OFALLON.
22:20 UTCTORNADO 0O'FallonSt. Clair, ILPOSSIBLE TORNADO DAMAGE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF OFALLON AT LANCASTER AND BERRINGER
22:25 UTCTSTM WND DMGBrightonMacoupin, ILPOWER POLES ON THE GROUND...THREE 36 INCH DIAMETER TREES UPROOTED.
22:25 UTCTSTM WND DMGPiasaMacoupin, ILROAD BLOCKED FROM DEBRIS ON RTE 16
22:25 UTCTSTM WND GST 60BethaltoMadison, IL
22:25 UTCTSTM WND GST 64SpartaRandolph, IL
22:25 UTCTSTM WND GST 65BellevilleSt. Clair, ILALSO .75 INCH HAIL
22:25 UTCHAIL 0.884 Ese BellevilleSt. Clair, IL
22:25 UTCHAIL 1BethaltoMadison, ILALSO DAMAGE..POWER LINES DOWNED
22:25 UTCTORNADO 02 N O'FallonSt. Clair, ILPRELIMINARY SURVEY BY NWS EMPLOYEE INDICATES NON-SUPERCELLULAR F1 DAMAGE TO HOME 1/4 MILE NORTH OF OFALLONTROY ROAD AND SEVEN HILLS ROAD.
22:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N HighlandMadison, ILNEW BRICK HOME WITH ATTACHED GARAGE...GARAGE WAS FLATTENED. NEAR I-70
22:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 S LebanonSt. Clair, ILLARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN, PARTIALLY BLOCKING HIGHWAY 4
22:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Nne LebanonMadison, ILWIND BLEW IN THE SOUTH SIDE OF A POLE BARN, FLIPPED A 12 FT V-BOTTOM FISHING BOAT, AND 12 INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMBS ARE BLOWN DOWN.
22:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGAltonMadison, IL18 INCH DIAMETER TREE ACROSS ROAD AT STATE STREET NORTH OF BROADWAY
22:30 UTCTSTM WND GST 0Scott AfbSt. Clair, ILSEVERAL 3 TO 4 FOOT DIAMETER TREES BLOWN DOWN AROUND SCOTT AFB. A PAVILION WAS ALSO DESTROYED.
22:30 UTCTSTM WND GST 58TroyMadison, IL
22:30 UTCHAIL 0.75TroyMadison, IL
22:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N HamelMadison, ILBILL BOARDS BLOWN DOWN
22:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Wsw HighlandMadison, ILGRAIN BIN TOP BLOWN OFF AND NEIGHBOR HAD SEVERAL BARNS DAMAGED....PEA SIZED HAIL

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 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 27:01 PM CDTF0DeWitt, IL0.130
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.