Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2006

F0 tornado, Edwardsville, Illinois, July 19, 2006

This F0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Madison County on July 19, 2006, touching down at 7:25 PM CDT and reaching 20 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
July 19, 2006
Touchdown
7:25 PM CDT (00:25 UTC)
Path length
0.2 miles (0.3 km)
Path width
20 yards (18 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Madison County
Touchdown point
38.780, -89.950
Lift-off point
38.780, -89.950
Record number
745

What the Weather Service recorded

A tornado briefly touched down in a open field south of Edwardsville near Illinois Route 159. No damage or injuries were reported.

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

The warnings

32 minutes of warning. NWS LSX issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:53 UTC, 32 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 00:45 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 22:45 UTC and running to 01:50 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
22:45 UTC01:50 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchLSX
23:28 UTC00:20 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX
23:49 UTC00:32 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX
23:53 UTC00:45 UTCTornado 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 General Thunderstorms Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 20:05 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

0.4 hours before the tornado, 191 km from the path. July 20, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2006-07-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 4 joules per kilogram, CIN -795, lifted condensation level 2889 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2006-07-20The 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 -101 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 53 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-795 J/kg
Surface CAPE
142 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2889 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-101 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1
0-3 km lapse rate
4.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 12:00Z

11.6 hours after it, 191 km from the path. July 20, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2006-07-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1692 joules per kilogram, CIN -311, lifted condensation level 1349 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2006-07-20The 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 55 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 18 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
1692 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-311 J/kg
Surface CAPE
503 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1349 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:25 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
23:12 UTCHAIL 0.88CarlinvilleMacoupin, IL
23:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGJerseyvilleJersey, ILPOWER LINES AND 5 TO 6 INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMBS DOWNED.
23:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGMedoraMacoupin, ILTREES AND LIMBS DOWN...DAMAGE TO CORN FIELDS
23:25 UTCTSTM WND DMGCarlinvilleMacoupin, ILLARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN, 4 TO 5 INCH DIAMETER.
23:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGCarlinvilleMacoupin, ILPOWER LINES AND LARGE TREE BRANCHES DOWN.
23:35 UTCTSTM WND GST 882 Nw Bunker HillMacoupin, IL
23:35 UTCTSTM WND GST 921 Nw Bunker HillMacoupin, ILFULL SIZE PICKUP TRUCK BLOWN INTO DITCH.
23:40 UTCTSTM WND GST 60BrightonMacoupin, ILPOWER LINES DOWN
23:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGBrightonMacoupin, ILTREES DOWN
23:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGBunker HillMacoupin, ILTREES AND LIMBS DOWN
23:46 UTCHAIL 0.88GillespieMacoupin, IL
23:53 UTCTSTM WND GST 63AltonMadison, ILMEASURED AT KALN
00:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGAltonMadison, IL2 FOOT DIAMETER TREES DOWNED AT 1000 BLOCK OF STATE STREET.
00:05 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDMaryvilleMadison, ILREPORTED NEAR I-55 AND I-70
00:05 UTCTORNADO3 N Bunker HillMacoupin, IL911 RELAYED REPORT OF POSSIBLE TORNADO ON HIGHWAY 159 HEADING SOUTH
00:08 UTCTSTM WND DMGGranite CityMadison, ILTREES DOWN
00:09 UTCTSTM WND GST 62BethaltoMadison, IL
00:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGBethaltoMadison, ILDAMAGE TO HANGERS AT THE ST LOUIS REGIONAL AIRPORT
00:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGBethaltoMadison, ILROOF PARTIALLY BLOWN OFF APARTMENT BUILDING. 2 LARGE TREES IN SAME AREA UPROOTED.
00:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGTroyMadison, IL6 INCH TREE LIMB DOWN.
00:15 UTCTSTM WND DMG5 N CollinsvilleMadison, IL2 FOOT DIAMETER TREES DOWN NEAR I-270 AND 157
00:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGEast St. LouisSt. Clair, ILGATEWAY FABRICATORS BUILDING HEAVILY DAMAGED...PARTIAL COLLAPSE OF SEVERAL BRICK BUILDINGS ONTO CARS...TREES UPROOTED...TRUCK BLOWN OVER AT KENNETH HALL REGIONAL HOSPITAL
00:19 UTCTSTM WND GST 59CahokiaSt. Clair, ILMEASURED BY THE KCPS ASOS
00:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGCahokiaSt. Clair, ILTREES AND LIMBS DOWN
00:25 UTCTSTM WND DMGEast CarondeletSt. Clair, ILNUMEROUS TREES...TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES DOWN...SOME FALLEN ON CARS AND HOMES
00:25 UTCTSTM WND DMGGranite CityMadison, ILPIECES OF ROOFING BLOWN OFF CAMPUS BUILDING AT SIU. 6 TO 12 INCH DIAMETER TREES UPROOTED.
00:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGEdwardsvilleMadison, ILNUMEROUS 2 INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMBS DOWN - DEBRIS SPREAD ABOUT FROM THUNDERSTORMS WINDS. LOCATION OF DAMAGE HWY 157/270
00:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGHamelMadison, ILPOWER LINES DOWN AT I-55 AND 157
00:40 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDFairview HeightsSt. Clair, IL
00:40 UTCTSTM WND DMGColumbiaMonroe, ILNUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
00:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGO'FallonSt. Clair, ILLARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN
01:05 UTCHAIL 0.75ColumbiaMonroe, IL
01:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGAltonMadison, IL2 FOOT DIAMETER TREES DOWNED AT 1000 BLOCK OF STATE STREET.
01:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGColumbiaMonroe, ILTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
01:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGWaterlooMonroe, ILTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
01:25 UTCHAIL 1HillsboroMontgomery, ILESTIMATED 92MPH WIND GUST.

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 July 19, 2006

1 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 196:50 PM CDTF0Macoupin, IL0.220

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.