Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2007

EF0 tornado, Mc Lean, Illinois, March 28, 2007

This EF0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across McLean County on March 28, 2007, touching down at 3:19 PM CDT and reaching 10 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

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

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

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

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

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

  3. EF2111 to 135 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. EF3136 to 165 mph

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

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

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

  6. EF5over 200 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
EF0
Date
March 28, 2007
Touchdown
3:19 PM CDT (20:19 UTC)
Path length
0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Path width
10 yards (9 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
McLean County
Touchdown point
40.300, -89.197
Lift-off point
40.300, -89.197
Record number
0703281419-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Scattered thunderstorms developed along a stationary boundary. Several funnel clouds were reported with the storms along the boundary. Two landspout tornadoes were also reported. A nearly stationary thunderstorm that developed over Macon county caused flash flooding.

A tornado briefly touched down in a field. No damage was reported.

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

The warnings

0 minutes of warning. NWS ILX issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:19 UTC, 0 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:45 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
20:19 UTC20:45 UTCTornado WarningILX

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 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

8.3 hours before the tornado, 53 km from the path. March 28, 2007.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2007-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 5 joules per kilogram, CIN -119, lifted condensation level 1025 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 2007-03-28The 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 39 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 23 knots.1939Sfc1 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
5 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-119 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1025 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z

3.7 hours after it, 53 km from the path. March 29, 2007.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2007-03-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 46 joules per kilogram, CIN -34, lifted condensation level 750 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 2007-03-29The 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 74 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 38 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
46 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-34 J/kg
Surface CAPE
26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
750 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Lincoln (AAA), 20 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
18:26 UTC69.859190° 5 kt1018.3
18:46 UTC69.859180° 8 kt1018.3
19:06 UTC69.859190° 5 kt1018.3
19:26 UTC69.859170° 6 kt1018.3
19:46 UTC69.859160° 5 kt1017.9
20:06 UTC69.859170° 8 kt1017.9
20:26 UTC71.659160° 9 kt1017.9
20:46 UTC69.859200° 6 kt1017.9
21:06 UTC69.859180° 5 kt1017.9
21:26 UTC69.859180° 3 kt1017.9
21:46 UTC69.8590° 0 kt1017.9
22:06 UTC69.857.20° 0 kt1017.9

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

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:19 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
20:05 UTCTORNADO1 N AtlantaLogan, ILPUBLIC REPORT VIA LOGAN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER. BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN...NO DAMAGE REPORTED.
20:19 UTCTORNADO2 Sw McleanMclean, ILPUBLIC REPORT VIA EMERGENCY MANAGER OF BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN AT MILEPOST 143 ON INTERSTATE 55.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2007 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 28, 2007

65 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 283:05 PM CDTEF0Logan, IL0.110
March 285:20 PM CDTEF0Swisher, TX2.575
March 285:28 PM CDTEF0Briscoe, TX2.075
March 285:43 PM CDTEF1Briscoe, TX6.8100$35,000
March 286:03 PM CDTEF0Floyd, TX0.550$10,000
March 286:03 PM CDTEF0Briscoe, TX4.8220
March 286:10 PM CDTEF0Briscoe, TX1.8100
March 286:35 PM CDTEF2Briscoe, TX16.5300$175,000
March 286:40 PM CDTEF0Donley, TX1.0100
March 285:49 PM MDTEF0Wallace, KS0.510
March 285:52 PM MDTEF0Wallace, KS6.075
March 286:55 PM CDTEF1Donley, TX7.3150$5,000
March 287:05 PM CDTEF0Donley, TX1.0200
March 287:05 PM CDTEF0Decatur, KS8.025$40,000
March 286:12 PM MDTEF0Cherry, NE3.0150$250
March 287:16 PM CDTEF0Lipscomb, TX6.0150
March 287:28 PM CDTEF0Meade, KS1.450
March 287:28 PM CDTEF2Beaver, OK16.01502$102,000
March 287:32 PM CDTEF0Meade, KS1.350
March 286:33 PM MDTEF0Hamilton, KS10.6100
March 286:37 PM MDTEF0Sherman, KS0.510
March 287:39 PM CDTEF3Donley, TX3.46002$180,000
March 287:42 PM CDTEF1Meade, KS13.5125$78,000
March 287:46 PM CDTEF2Donley, TX4.2528$63,000
March 287:48 PM CDTEF3Gray, TX3.06002$100,000
March 286:48 PM MDTEF0Greeley, KS11.0100
March 286:49 PM MDTEF0Sherman, KS0.510
March 287:58 PM CDTEF0Ford, KS7.850
March 288:02 PM CDTEF0Donley, TX0.350
March 288:04 PM CDTEF2Beaver, OK6.0100$58,000
March 287:05 PM MDTEF0Chase, NE0.120
March 287:05 PM MDTEF1Arthur, NE20.6100
March 287:06 PM MDTEF0Sherman, KS3.025
March 287:09 PM MDTEF0Greeley, KS15.0100$25,000
March 287:11 PM MDTEF1Chase, NE2.520$15,000
March 287:12 PM MDTEF0Perkins, NE0.220
March 288:13 PM CDTEF2Donley, TX4.5200$170,000
March 288:14 PM CDTEF1Gray, KS10.4200$160,000
March 288:15 PM CDTEF0Donley, TX1.050
March 287:15 PM MDTEF2Sherman, KS7.0350$100,000
March 287:20 PM MDTEF1Perkins, NE2.330$15,000
March 287:20 PM MDTEF2Perkins, NE15.9900$1.2 million
March 288:23 PM CDTEF2Gray, TX3.6200$74,000
March 288:29 PM CDTEF2Cheyenne, KS27.0700$2.0 million
March 288:30 PM CDTEF0Gray, TX0.350$3,000
March 288:32 PM CDTEF1Hodgeman, KS10.7200$3,000
March 288:36 PM CDTEF1Gray, TX0.350$39,000
March 288:39 PM CDTEF0Meade, KS8.7100
March 287:41 PM MDTEF1Wallace, KS8.0100$250,000
March 288:45 PM CDTEF3Gray, TX8.01,760$27,000
March 287:46 PM MDTEF1Grant, NE2.0100$500
March 288:49 PM CDTEF1Cheyenne, KS4.0100$6,000
March 287:54 PM MDTEF3Prowers, CO28.090029$4.0 million
March 288:00 PM MDTEF0Keith, NE0.120
March 289:01 PM CDTEF3Hodgeman, KS29.11,320$535,000
March 289:09 PM CDTEF1Cheyenne, KS3.0200$25,000
March 288:11 PM MDTEF1Keith, NE0.720$100,000
March 288:17 PM MDTEF1Dundy, NE12.0440$460,000
March 288:20 PM MDTEF0Keith, NE0.120$5,000
March 288:29 PM MDTEF0Sherman, KS2.525$3,000

All 66 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.