Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2014
EF0 tornado, Cimic, Illinois, February 20, 2014
This EF0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Sangamon County on February 20, 2014, touching down at 3:43 PM CST and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $30,000 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.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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
- February 20, 2014
- Touchdown
- 3:43 PM CST (21:43 UTC)
- Lifted
- 3:44 PM CST (21:44 UTC)
- On the ground
- 1 minutes
- Path length
- 0.2 miles (0.4 km)
- Path width
- 75 yards (69 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $30,000
- County
- Sangamon County
- Touchdown point
- 39.567, -89.626
- Lift-off point
- 39.568, -89.622
- Record number
- 1402201543-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A rapidly deepening area of low pressure tracked from near Kansas City to southwest Wisconsin by the evening of February 20th. Thunderstorms developed along the trailing cold front across Missouri during the early afternoon, then pushed eastward into central Illinois during the late afternoon into the early evening. Eight tornadoes touched down across central Illinois, including an EF-2 tornado south of Pana in Christian County. In addition, high rainfall rates associated with the storms combined with rapid snow-melt to produce widespread flash flooding, mainly east of the I-55 corridor.
A tornado briefly touched down about 1.7 miles east of Divernon at 3:43 PM CST. The tornado tore the roof off a barn before lifting at 3:44 PM CST.
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 19:38 UTC and running to 22:46 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 UTC | 22:56 UTC | Flood Watch | ILX |
| 19:38 UTC | 22:46 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | ILX |
| 20:20 UTC | 21:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX |
| 21:00 UTC | 04:51 UTC | High Wind Warning | ILX |
| 21:29 UTC | 22:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX |
| 21:49 UTC | 22:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | ILX |
| 22:08 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | ILX |
| 22:09 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | ILX |
| 00:00 UTC | 09:15 UTC | High Wind Watch | ILX |
| 02:56 UTC | 20:00 UTC | Flood Warning | ILX |
| 04:51 UTC | 09:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | ILX |
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. The outlook in force was issued at 19:37 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
9.7 hours before the tornado, 109 km from the path. February 20, 2014.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -96532 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 507 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 49 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 582 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 576 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 2.2 K/km
Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z
2.3 hours after it, 109 km from the path. February 21, 2014.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -83765 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 32 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 861 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 86 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -195 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -75 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.9 K/km
The radar
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:42 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:30 UTC | TSTM WND GST 52 | Plainview | Macoupin, IL | |
| 21:42 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 E Divernon | Sangamon, IL | ROOF BLOWN OFF BARN. |
| 21:43 UTC | TORNADO | 1 E Divernon | Sangamon, IL | TORNADO TORE OFF A BARN ROOF. ON THE GROUND FOR 0.2 MILE AND WAS 75 YARDS WIDE. |
| 21:45 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 1 E Divernon | Sangamon, IL | NEAR I-55 |
| 21:55 UTC | HAIL 0.25 | 1 N Irving | Montgomery, IL | |
| 21:58 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 W Kincaid | Christian, IL | 15 POWER POLES SNAPPED JUST EAST OF POWER PLANT |
| 22:00 UTC | FLOOD | Springfield | Sangamon, IL | ONE FOOT OF STANDING WATER AT SEVERAL INTERSECTIONS ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF SPRINGFIELD. |
| 22:00 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Ne Mechanicsburg | Sangamon, IL | 7 OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED. MINOR DAMAGE TO HOUSE. CAMPER BLOWN OVER. SEVERAL POWER POLES SNAPPED. |
| 22:00 UTC | TORNADO | 3 E Mechanicsburg | Sangamon, IL | 2 OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED AND 5 DAMAGED. MINOR DAMAGE TO HOUSE. NO INJURIES. CAMPER BLOWN OVER. SEVERAL POWER POLES SNAPPED. CORRECTED LOCATION AND DAMAGE. |
| 22:04 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W Illiopolis | Sangamon, IL | 4 POWER POLES BLOWN DOWN AND SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED. |
| 22:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Illiopolis | Sangamon, IL | NUMEROUS POWER POLES BLOWN DOWN ON OLD RT. 36. |
| 22:15 UTC | NON-TSTM WND DMG | 1 E Hillsboro | Montgomery, IL | BILLBOARD DAMAGED BY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN THE WAKE OF THE THUNDERSTORMS. TIME ESTIMATED. |
| 22:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Pana | Christian, IL | TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN NEAR TOWN |
| 22:20 UTC | TORNADO | 2 S Pana | Christian, IL | TOUCHDOWN IN AN OPEN FIELD. NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE. |
| 22:22 UTC | TORNADO | 2 E Pana | Christian, IL | NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. ATTACHED GARAGE DESTROYED. SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED. |
| 22:24 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W Tower Hill | Shelby, IL | HOUSE DAMAGED AND OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED. |
| 22:30 UTC | TORNADO | 4 N Tower Hill | Shelby, IL | DAMAGE TO A HOUSE AND OUTBUILDINGS |
| 23:25 UTC | TORNADO | 6 S Nokomis | Montgomery, IL | HIGH TENSION TOWER TWISTED. DAMAGE TO FARM BUILDINGS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE GARAGE...ONE BARN PARTIALLY DESTROYED...AND DAMAGE TO A FARM HOUSE AND NUMEROUS TREES. |
| 23:41 UTC | NON-TSTM WND GST 64 | Capital Airport | Sangamon, IL | |
| 00:00 UTC | NON-TSTM WND DMG | Divernon | Sangamon, IL | SEVERAL SEMIS BLOWN OVER ON I-55. SOUTHBOUND LANES CLOSED. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2014 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 20, 2014
33 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 20 | 2:25 PM CST | EF2 | Pike, IL | 12.1 | 80 | 1 | ||
| February 20 | 2:48 PM CST | EF0 | Morgan, IL | 0.3 | 25 | |||
| February 20 | 2:52 PM CST | EF0 | Morgan, IL | 8.2 | 50 | |||
| February 20 | 3:57 PM CST | EF1 | Bond, IL | 12.3 | 50 | |||
| February 20 | 3:57 PM CST | EF1 | Sangamon, IL | 8.3 | 300 | $990,000 | ||
| February 20 | 4:09 PM CST | EF2 | Montgomery, IL | 22.4 | 200 | 1 | $600,000 | |
| February 20 | 4:36 PM CST | EF1 | Fayette, IL | 4.8 | 50 | |||
| February 20 | 4:39 PM CST | EF1 | Pemiscot, MO | 0.2 | 70 | 5 | $75,000 | |
| February 20 | 4:40 PM CST | EF1 | Jackson, IL | 0.4 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| February 20 | 4:40 PM CST | EF0 | Shelby, IL | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| February 20 | 4:41 PM CST | EF1 | Pemiscot, MO | 0.0 | 25 | $10,000 | ||
| February 20 | 4:54 PM CST | EF1 | Effingham, IL | 1.5 | 100 | $80,000 | ||
| February 20 | 5:43 PM CST | EF0 | Edgar, IL | 3.0 | 75 | |||
| February 20 | 7:40 PM EST | EF0 | Montgomery, IN | 7.5 | 40 | $75,000 | ||
| February 20 | 6:42 PM CST | EF0 | Webster, KY | 6.2 | 125 | $30,000 | ||
| February 20 | 7:11 PM CST | EF0 | Walthall, MS | 0.5 | 40 | $5,000 | ||
| February 20 | 7:12 PM CST | EF0 | Caldwell, KY | 1.6 | 125 | $8,000 | ||
| February 20 | 7:48 PM CST | EF0 | Marion, MS | 0.5 | 50 | $15,000 | ||
| February 20 | 9:32 PM EST | EF0 | Rush, IN | 0.0 | 25 | $12,000 | ||
| February 20 | 8:33 PM CST | EF1 | Evangeline Parish, LA | 2.6 | 75 | $50,000 | ||
| February 20 | 8:45 PM CST | EF1 | Lawrence, AL | 10.7 | 450 | |||
| February 20 | 8:51 PM CST | EF1 | Lauderdale, AL | 1.8 | 400 | |||
| February 20 | 8:55 PM CST | EF1 | Lauderdale, AL | 2.7 | 500 | 1 | ||
| February 20 | 9:05 PM CST | EF1 | Limestone, AL | 2.7 | 500 | |||
| February 20 | 10:14 PM EST | EF1 | Ripley, IN | 0.8 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| February 20 | 9:28 PM CST | EF1 | Jones, MS | 4.6 | 100 | $400,000 | ||
| February 20 | 9:50 PM CST | EF0 | Jones, MS | 0.6 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| February 20 | 9:53 PM CST | EF1 | Moore, TN | 1.6 | 400 | |||
| February 20 | 10:53 PM EST | EF0 | Montgomery, OH | 2.0 | 80 | $150,000 | ||
| February 20 | 10:08 PM CST | EF1 | Franklin, TN | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| February 20 | 10:23 PM CST | EF1 | Franklin, TN | 2.0 | 400 | |||
| February 20 | 10:29 PM CST | EF1 | Coffee, TN | 1.2 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| February 20 | 12:54 AM EST | EF0 | Delaware, OH | 0.1 | 80 | $100,000 |
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.