Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2010

EF0 tornado, East Lynn to Rossville, Illinois, June 21, 2010

From East Lynn to Rossville, this EF0 tornado ran 0.6 miles across Vermilion County on June 21, 2010, touching down at 7:02 PM CDT and reaching 50 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
June 21, 2010
Touchdown
7:02 PM CDT (00:02 UTC)
Lifted
7:04 PM CDT (00:04 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
0.6 miles (1.0 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Vermilion County
Touchdown point
40.402, -87.714
Lift-off point
40.403, -87.703
Record number
1006211802-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A nearly stationary, west to east oriented, frontal boundary wobbled north and south across northern and central Illinois during the afternoon hours of the 21st into the early morning hours of the 22nd. The movement of the front was largely modulated by outflows from various thunderstorm complexes. A few of these storm complexes developed over or moved across central Illinois. One complex produced two weak tornadoes and several funnel clouds as it developed over east central Illinois during the early evening. Other storms produced damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall, and small hail.

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

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

5 minutes of warning. NWS ILX issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:57 UTC, 5 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 01:00 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 23:34 UTC and running to 02:51 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
23:22 UTC00:00 UTCTornado WarningILX
23:34 UTC02:51 UTCTornado WatchILX
23:57 UTC01:00 UTCTornado WarningILX
00:22 UTC06:30 UTCFlash Flood WarningILX
01:17 UTC01:38 UTCTornado WarningILX
02:43 UTC08:30 UTCFlash Flood WarningILX
02:51 UTC10:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchILX
05:08 UTC05:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILX
06:27 UTC15:30 UTCFlood AdvisoryILX
17:00 UTC20:00 UTCHeat 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 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 22:48 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, 81 km from the path. June 22, 2010.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2010-06-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 4509 joules per kilogram, CIN -5, lifted condensation level 931 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2010-06-22The 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 93 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
4509 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Surface CAPE
6254 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
931 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
93 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
194 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.7
Supercell composite
10.5
0-3 km lapse rate
7.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 12:00Z

12.0 hours after it, 81 km from the path. June 22, 2010.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2010-06-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 147 joules per kilogram, CIN -369, lifted condensation level 1798 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 2010-06-22The 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 91 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 29 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
147 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-369 J/kg
Surface CAPE
184 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1798 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
91 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Danville (DNV), 25 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
22:05 UTC85.2873.4150° 11 kt191013.5
22:25 UTC85.6474.12170° 6 kt1014.2
22:45 UTC85.2874.48160° 5 kt1014.6
23:05 UTC8675.56170° 6 kt1014.2
23:25 UTC85.6475.56150° 7 kt1013.9
23:45 UTC8575170° 6 kt1014.2
00:05 UTC8475.2170° 7 kt1013.9
00:25 UTC83.4875.38170° 5 kt1014.2
00:45 UTC83.1275.2160° 6 kt1014.2
01:05 UTC81.6875.56190° 5 kt1014.9
01:25 UTC81.8675.38220° 6 kt1014.9
01:45 UTC79.5270.8880° 4 kt1014.6

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

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 137 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:02 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
21:55 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD3 Sw MelvinFord, IL
21:58 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD2 S Cissna ParkIroquois, ILROTATING WALL CLOUD WITH INTENSIFYING FUNNEL CLOUD.
21:58 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD3 Nnw PaxtonFord, ILSPOTTER REPORT OF A LARGE ROTATING WALL CLOUD WITH A PRONOUNCED UPDRAFT AND ACCOMPANIED FUNNEL
21:58 UTCTORNADO2 Sw MelvinFord, ILTOUCHDOWN ON US54 2 MILES SW OF MELVIN WITH DEBRIS
23:00 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDCissna ParkIroquois, ILFUNNEL CLOUD MOVING TOWARD WELLINGTON. POSSIBLE TOUCHDOWN.
23:19 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD2 S Cissna ParkIroquois, ILROTATING FUNNEL CLOUD WITH INTENSIFYING FUNNEL CLOUD.
23:22 UTCTORNADO4 Ene RankinVermilion, ILTORNADO ON THE GROUND AT COUNTY LINE JUST NORTH OF EAST LYNN. REPORTED FROM VERMILION COUNTY ESDA.
23:24 UTCTORNADO5 Sw ClaytonvilleIroquois, ILSPOTTER REPORT OF A RAIN-WRAPPED TORNADO.
23:39 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD2 W HoopestonVermilion, IL
23:53 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDHoopestonVermilion, ILINTERSECTION OF ROUTE 9 AND ROUTE 1 NEAR HOOPESTON...RELAYED FROM CHICAGO NWS.
00:02 UTCTORNADO3 Nw RossvilleVermilion, IL
00:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGMelvinFord, ILONE INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMB DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR.
00:15 UTCHAIL 0.25MelvinFord, ILPEA SIZED HAIL. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR.
00:30 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDHoopestonVermilion, IL
00:32 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDRossvilleVermilion, ILFUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED JUST NORTH OF ROSSVILLE.
01:05 UTCFLASH FLOODMelvinFord, ILWATER IN FIELD DRAINING ACROSS ROAD. ROAD CLOSED.
01:13 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD2 Ne PaxtonFord, ILMOVING TOWARD CISSNA PARK.
02:09 UTCFLOOD5 E RossvilleVermilion, ILWATER ON ROAD NEAR THE INDIANA BORDER.
02:30 UTCHAIL 0.75IndianolaVermilion, IL
02:35 UTCTSTM WND GST 601 W Ridge FarmVermilion, ILTIME ESTIMATED.
02:37 UTCFLASH FLOODIndianolaVermilion, IL15 INCHES OF WATER OVER CITY ROADS.
02:55 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDN Piper CityFord, ILPUBLIC REPORT. SPOTTED FROM CHATSWORTH...ESTIMATED LOCATION N OF PIPER CITY BY UNKNOWN DISTANCE.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2010 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 21, 2010

26 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 212:37 PM CDTEF0Walsh, ND2.475
June 212:49 PM CDTEF0Marshall, MN9.675
June 213:55 PM CDTEF0Grand Forks, ND7.0100
June 213:59 PM CDTEF0Marshall, MN2.1100
June 214:25 PM CDTEF0Van Buren, IA0.125
June 214:30 PM CDTEF0Marshall, MN2.350
June 214:58 PM CDTEF0Ford, IL0.220
June 214:00 PM MDTEF0Valley, MT0.11
June 215:21 PM CDTEF0Lee, IA0.125
June 214:54 PM MDTEF0Morgan, CO0.150
June 216:00 PM CDTEF0Beltrami, MN0.125
June 215:03 PM MDTEF0Morgan, CO0.150
June 216:22 PM CDTEF0Vermilion, IL0.450
June 216:24 PM CDTEF0Iroquois, IL0.320
June 215:56 PM MDTEF0Washington, CO0.150
June 217:30 PM CDTEF0McDonough, IL0.625$5,000
June 217:39 PM CDTEF1Lafayette, WI2.275$15,000
June 217:41 PM CDTEF1Dane, WI0.240$15,000
June 217:00 PM MDTEF1Powder River, MT1.0200$107,000
June 217:10 PM MDTEF2Powder River, MT0.5100$150,000
June 217:10 PM MDTEF1Yuma, CO11.825$380,000
June 218:15 PM CDTEF1Jefferson, WI1.3100$620,000
June 219:11 PM CDTEF2Waukesha, WI5.288015$21 million
June 219:36 PM CDTEF1Waukesha, WI5.9200$430,000
June 219:45 PM CDTEF0Sheridan, KS0.510
June 2112:58 AM EDTEF0Ottawa, MI2.4200$200,000

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.