Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2012

EF0 tornado, East Lynn to Hoopeston, Illinois, May 6, 2012

From East Lynn to Hoopeston, this EF0 tornado ran 2.1 miles across Vermilion County on May 6, 2012, touching down at 5:18 PM CDT and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $65,000 of property damage.

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
May 6, 2012
Touchdown
5:18 PM CDT (22:18 UTC)
Lifted
5:23 PM CDT (22:23 UTC)
On the ground
5 minutes
Path length
2.1 miles (3.4 km)
Path width
75 yards (69 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$65,000
County
Vermilion County
Touchdown point
40.457, -87.727
Lift-off point
40.460, -87.687
Record number
1205061618-01

What the Weather Service recorded

An outflow boundary from early morning convection across Iowa and a lake-enhanced boundary from Lake Michigan combined to create a cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms across north-central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of May 6th. The storms primarily impacted locations along and northeast of a Henry...to Rantoul...to Danville line. One cell spawned an EF0 tornado southwest of Hoopeston in Vermilion County, while other storms produced strong winds that derailed part of a train near Toluca in Marshall County. In addition, very heavy rain produced flash flooding in northeast Vermilion County during the evening.

A tornado touched down about 3.2 miles west-southwest of Hoopeston at 5:18 PM CDT. The tornado tracked eastward, destroying a grain silo, throwing a grain auger into a 20 X 40 shed, and ripping shingles off two houses before lifting 1.1 miles southwest of Hoopeston at 5:23 PM CDT.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 18:44 UTC and running to 00:45 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
18:44 UTC00:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchILX
21:03 UTC22:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILX
22:00 UTC22:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILX
22:21 UTC23:00 UTCTornado WarningILX
23:09 UTC05:00 UTCFlash Flood 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 forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:03 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, 83 km from the path. May 6, 2012.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2012-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2922 joules per kilogram, CIN -37, lifted condensation level 576 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2012-05-06The 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 48 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 14 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
2922 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Surface CAPE
261 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
576 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z

1.7 hours after it, 83 km from the path. May 7, 2012.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2012-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1208 joules per kilogram, CIN -88, lifted condensation level 1947 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2012-05-07The 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 -5 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 22 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
1208 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2301 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1947 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1
0-3 km lapse rate
7.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Danville (DNV), 30 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
20:35 UTC89.4267.46140° 10 kt141010.8
20:55 UTC87.6267140° 11 kt181010.8
21:15 UTC87.6267.28140° 10 kt181010.5
21:35 UTC86.3666.74160° 14 kt181010.2
21:55 UTC8666.74170° 11 kt171010.8
22:15 UTC8566.74150° 12 kt171010.5
22:35 UTC84.7466.74150° 12 kt1010.8
22:55 UTC84.3867.28150° 9 kt1010.8
23:15 UTC7365350° 22 kt301012.9
23:35 UTC6763.6840° 25 kt291011.9
23:55 UTC6762.4270° 14 kt241011.5
00:15 UTC67.6464.7650° 7 kt1010.8

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

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 131 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
20:30 UTCHAIL 0.255 W WatsekaIroquois, IL
20:35 UTCHAIL 2.75CliftonIroquois, ILEM RELAYED A PUBLIC REPORT OF BASEBALL SIZE HAIL.
20:50 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD2 Nne AshkumIroquois, ILSPOTTER REPORTED A LOW ROTATING WALL CLOUD WITH A POSSIBLE FUNNEL.
20:50 UTCTORNADOAshkumIroquois, ILSOUTH OF TOWN ALONG I-57 NEAR MILE MARKER 290.
21:35 UTCHEAVY RAIN 1.375 W WatsekaIroquois, IL1.37 INCHES IN 30 MINUTES. SOME WIND DAMAGE TO FARM BUILDING DUE TO STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.
21:37 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 E Crescent CityIroquois, ILAN NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS TOPPLED APPROXIMATELY FIFTY 70-FOOT HIGH WOODEN UTILITY POLES. THESE WERE BLOWN DOWN TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST ACROSS A RAILROAD LINE IMMEDIATELY TO THE NORTH OF U.S. H
21:44 UTCTSTM WND DMGWatsekaIroquois, ILNUMEROUS LARGE TREES DOWNED SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE TOWN. DENSITY WAS THE HIGHEST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN...WHERE THREE UTILITY POLES WERE ALSO DOWNED. THERE WAS MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO A FEW BUILDINGS. TIME ESTIMATED BA
21:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGCrescent CityIroquois, IL2 REPORTS RCVD - EAST OF CRESCENT CITY TO WATSEKA ALONG US 24. EST 60 POWER POLES BLOWN DOWN OVER RR TRACKS IN A 3/4 TO 1 1/2 MILE SECTION. OTHER POLES WERE DAMAGED. TIME APPROX FROM 2140 UTC TO 2200 UTC
21:48 UTCTORNADO2 Ese WatsekaIroquois, ILAN NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED AN EF1 TORNADO WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 85 TO 95 MPH TOUCHED DOWN 2.5 MILES ESE TO 4 MILES ESE OF WATSEKA WITH A PATH LENGTH OF APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES. MULTIPLE OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED
21:55 UTCHAIL 0.88ChatsworthLivingston, ILPENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL IN THE TOWN OF CHATSWORTH.
22:00 UTCTORNADO3 E WatsekaIroquois, ILDELAYED REPORT. TIME BASED OFF RADAR. POSSIBLE TORNADO. DAMAGE STARTED ON SE SIDE OF WATSEKA E OF RT 1 AND S OF RT 24. MULTIPLE TREES DOWN. SIDING RIPPED OFF BLDGS. SIGNS MANGLED. ON A PROPERTY ON CR 1730N...A 40X40 CIND
22:06 UTCHAIL 0.882 Sw HoopestonVermilion, ILRELAYED BY EMA
22:10 UTCHAIL 2.53 W HoopestonVermilion, ILRELAYED BY EMA
22:13 UTCHAIL 0.25Cissna ParkIroquois, ILEST WIND GUST 30 MPH. SMALL LIMBS DOWN.
22:17 UTCHAIL 12 N RossvilleVermilion, ILREPORTED 2 MILES SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 9
22:24 UTCHAIL 2.5HoopestonVermilion, ILRELAYED BY EMA
22:30 UTCHAIL 1.75HoopestonVermilion, IL
22:30 UTCHEAVY RAIN 2HoopestonVermilion, IL
22:30 UTCHEAVY RAIN 33 W HoopestonVermilion, IL
22:30 UTCFLASH FLOOD2 Ese WatsekaIroquois, IL1730N ROAD BUCKLED AT THE INTERSECTION OF RTE 1. THIS WAS VERY LIKELY DUE TO WATER. TIME IS ESTIMATED.
22:48 UTCTSTM WND DMGHoopestonVermilion, ILPOWER POLES DOWN NEAR JUNCTION OF HIGHWAYS 1 AND 9.
23:00 UTCFLASH FLOOD2 E WatsekaIroquois, IL1730N ROAD BUCKLED WHICH IS NEAR RTE 1. THIS WAS POTENTIALLY DUE TO WATER. TIME IS OF REPORT. TIME OF ROAD BUCKLING UNKNOWN.
23:05 UTCFLOODHoopestonVermilion, ILMANY ROADS FLOODED, SOME WITH OVER A FOOT OF WATER. REPORTED BY HOOPESTON POLICE AND RELAYED BY VERMILION COUNTY EMA.
23:20 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Ne DanvilleVermilion, ILTREE DOWN ACROSS WINTER AVENUE A QUARTER MILE EAST OF BOWMAN AVENUE. POWER LINES ALSO DONW.
23:38 UTCFLASH FLOOD5 Wsw KentlandBenton, INROAD COMPLETELY WASHED OUT AT THE INTERSECTION OF 900N AND 1100W AT THE BENTON AND IROQUOIS COUNTY LINE. WATER UP TO THE HOOD OF CAR SPOTTER IS IN.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2012 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 6, 2012

5 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 64:48 PM CDTEF1Iroquois, IL1.3200$25,000
May 65:15 PM CDTEF0Cass, MO0.225
May 65:17 PM CDTEF0Cass, MO0.125
May 66:10 PM CDTEF0Johnson, KS0.125
May 66:22 PM CDTEF0Johnson, KS0.125

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.