Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2017
EF3 tornado, LaSalle County, Illinois, February 28, 2017
This EF3 tornado ran 11.5 miles across LaSalle County on February 28, 2017, touching down at 4:41 PM CST and reaching 800 yards wide. It killed 2 people and injured 14.
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 mph
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 mphthis tornado
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
- EF3
- Date
- February 28, 2017
- Touchdown
- 4:41 PM CST (22:41 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:59 PM CST (22:59 UTC)
- On the ground
- 18 minutes
- Path length
- 11.5 miles (18.5 km)
- Path width
- 800 yards (732 m)
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 14
- County
- LaSalle County
- Touchdown point
- 41.324, -88.950
- Lift-off point
- 41.360, -88.735
- Record number
- 1702281641-01
The damage survey
14 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS DVN and NWS LOT, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF3. The highest wind the damage implies is 155 mph.
- Older house, cinderblock foundation, crawlspace, not necessarily well built so took the wind speed down 10-12 mph. A van and a car at the property also were moved. The car was flipped around facing the opposite direction while the van was probably either lifted or rolled about 30 yards.
- Southern edge of the path looking north
- Northern end of the damage path looking east
- Nursing home roof removed.
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
The warnings
14 minutes of warning. NWS LOT issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:27 UTC, 14 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:15 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 21:00 UTC and running to 03:51 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:17 UTC | 06:22 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 16:17 UTC | 04:07 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 21:00 UTC | 03:51 UTC | Tornado Watch | LOT |
| 22:14 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 22:27 UTC | 23:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 22:51 UTC | 23:18 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 23:13 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 23:36 UTC | 00:03 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 00:13 UTC | 00:27 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 00:24 UTC | 01:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 00:26 UTC | 03:30 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 01:41 UTC | 02:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 02:04 UTC | 02:13 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 02:35 UTC | 03:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 02:51 UTC | 08:45 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 03:34 UTC | 04:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 03:51 UTC | 05:30 UTC | Tornado Watch | LOT |
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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:56 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
10.7 hours before the tornado, 134 km from the path. February 28, 2017.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -94028 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 569 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 67 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 276 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 285 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.6 K/km
Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z
1.3 hours after it, 134 km from the path. March 1, 2017.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 687 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -73 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1103 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 887 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 72 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 395 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 431 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.6
- Supercell composite
- 6.7
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.5 K/km
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:25 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | 1 N Mark | Putnam, IL | RELAYED BY PUTNAM EM |
| 22:30 UTC | TORNADO | 3 W Cedar Point | Putnam, IL | |
| 22:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Sw Peru | Putnam, IL | LARGE TREE BRANCH BROKEN OFF THAT WAS 1 TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER. ESTIMATED WIND SPEED OF 61 MPH. |
| 22:41 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Ese Utica | La Salle, IL | *** 2 FATAL, 14 INJ *** UPDATED FOR NWS STORM SURVEY INFORMATION AND ADDITIONAL FATALITY. LOCATION AND TIME IS OF START OF TORNADO. THE MAXIMUM INTENSITY WAS EF-3 WITH ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS AROUND 155 MPH. THE PATH LENGTH |
| 22:42 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 6 E Hennepin | Putnam, IL | |
| 22:45 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | Ottawa | La Salle, IL | REPORTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA. |
| 22:45 UTC | TORNADO | Ottawa | La Salle, IL | *** 1 FATAL, 1 INJ *** LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CONFIRMED ONE FATALITY AND AT LEAST ONE INJURY. |
| 22:45 UTC | TORNADO | Ottawa | La Salle, IL | *** 1 FATAL *** FIRE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMS ONE FATALITY. |
| 22:45 UTC | TORNADO | Ottawa | La Salle, IL | |
| 22:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Sw Peru | Putnam, IL | LARGE TREE BRANCH DOWN. ESTIMATED WIND SPEED OF 60 MPH. CORRECTED TIME. |
| 22:51 UTC | TORNADO | Ottawa | La Salle, IL | STORM CHASER REPORTED LARGE ALMOST WEDGE SHAPED TORNADO ON THE GROUND. |
| 22:55 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Tiskilwa | Bureau, IL | SIZE OF NICKELS. |
| 23:00 UTC | TORNADO | 3 N Marseilles | La Salle, IL | UPDATED FOR NWS STORM SURVEY INFORMATION. LOCATION AND TIME IS OF START OF TORNADO. THE MAXIMUM INTENSITY IS EF-1 WITH ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS OF 110 MPH. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 1.5 MILES. |
| 23:06 UTC | TORNADO | Marseilles | La Salle, IL | AT THE INTERSECTION OF NE 30TH AND E 25TH. ELECTRICAL TOWER DOWN AND MULTIPLE BULDINGS DAMAGED. |
| 23:06 UTC | TORNADO | Marseilles | La Salle, IL | AT THE INTERSECTION OF NE 30TH AND E 25TH. ELECTRICAL TOWER DOWN BLOCKING ROAD AND MULTIPLE BULDINGS DAMAGED. HOUSE WITH ROOF BLOWN OFF. POWER LINE DOWN ON ROAD. |
| 23:07 UTC | FLOOD | Joliet | Will, IL | 5 INCHES OF FLOWING WATER NEAR PILCHER PARK IN AN AREA THAT NORMALLY FLOODS. |
| 23:13 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Nw Morris | Grundy, IL | STORM CHASER REPORTS VERY LARGE TORNADO 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF MORRIS. |
| 23:26 UTC | TORNADO 3 | 4 W Washburn | Woodford, IL | PATH LENGTH 18.0 MILES, PEAK WIDTH 600 YARDS. GREATEST DAMAGE IN WASHBURN, WHERE IT DAMAGED 8 HOUSES AND DID SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ROOFS, GARAGES, AUTOMOBILES AND TREES. IT CROSSED INTO MARSHALL COUNTY AT WASHBURN AND EN |
| 23:34 UTC | TORNADO | Washburn | Woodford, IL | DAMAGE REPORT...STUCTURAL DAMAGE, POWER POLES DOWN. |
| 23:34 UTC | TORNADO | Washburn | Woodford, IL | TORNADO ON GROUND IN TOWN. |
| 23:35 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | Shorewood | Will, IL | |
| 23:39 UTC | HAIL 1 | Joliet | Will, IL | LARKIN AND BLACK ROAD |
| 23:44 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Crest Hill | Will, IL | ANTENNA MAST OF 1 5/8 INCH DIAMETER BENT OVER |
| 23:47 UTC | TORNADO | 2 S Toluca | Marshall, IL | STILL ON GROUND. HEADING TOWARD RUTLAND. |
| 23:47 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 5 Nw Joliet | Will, IL | SOUTH LILY CACHE ROAD, PLAINFIELD |
| 23:50 UTC | HAIL 0.5 | Plainfield | Will, IL | ROUTE 30 AND I-55 |
| 23:56 UTC | TORNADO | Rutland | La Salle, IL | ROPE TORNADO REPORTED 5 MILE NE OF RUTLAND |
| 00:05 UTC | HAIL 1 | Shorewood | Will, IL | SILO ROAD AND SARVER |
| 00:17 UTC | FLOOD | Joliet | Will, IL | 3 INCHES TO 4 INCHES OF STANDING WATER NEAR I55 AND HOULBOLT ROAD |
| 00:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Joliet | Will, IL | METAL POLE BARN LEVELED. |
| 01:25 UTC | HAIL 0.25 | Lake Thunderbird | Putnam, IL | |
| 01:30 UTC | HAIL 0.25 | Minooka | Grundy, IL | 1/2 MILE NORTH OF RIDGE ROAD AND ROUTE 6. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2017 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 28, 2017
29 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 28 | 3:53 PM CST | EF0 | Clinton, IA | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| February 28 | 4:12 PM CST | EF1 | Stark, IL | 5.5 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| February 28 | 4:27 PM CST | EF0 | LaSalle, IL | 1.8 | 50 | |||
| February 28 | 4:44 PM CST | EF1 | Whiteside, IL | 2.6 | 75 | |||
| February 28 | 4:58 PM CST | EF1 | LaSalle, IL | 2.8 | 200 | |||
| February 28 | 5:04 PM CST | EF0 | Grundy, IL | 1.2 | 200 | |||
| February 28 | 5:07 PM CST | EF1 | Ogle, IL | 1.5 | 50 | |||
| February 28 | 5:10 PM CST | EF0 | Peoria, IL | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| February 28 | 5:15 PM CST | EF0 | Peoria, IL | 0.9 | 100 | $75,000 | ||
| February 28 | 5:26 PM CST | EF3 | Marshall, IL | 17.8 | 600 | $2.0 million | ||
| February 28 | 5:52 PM CST | EF2 | Livingston, IL | 5.6 | 75 | |||
| February 28 | 6:40 PM CST | EF1 | Reynolds, MO | 4.4 | 80 | |||
| February 28 | 7:03 PM CST | EF1 | White, AR | 1.4 | 120 | 4 | $50,000 | |
| February 28 | 7:07 PM CST | EF2 | White, AR | 1.1 | 250 | 1 | $70,000 | |
| February 28 | 7:16 PM CST | EF0 | Madison, MO | 4.4 | 50 | |||
| February 28 | 7:51 PM CST | EF4 | Perryville tornado, Missouri and Illinois | 53.5 | 1,100 | 1 | 12 | $15 million |
| February 28 | 8:54 PM EST | EF1 | Berrien, MI | 0.6 | 100 | |||
| February 28 | 8:58 PM EST | EF1 | Cass, MI | 5.0 | 100 | |||
| February 28 | 9:12 PM EST | EF1 | Cass, MI | 2.7 | 150 | |||
| February 28 | 9:38 PM EST | EF1 | Saint Joseph, MI | 2.0 | 50 | |||
| February 28 | 9:33 PM CST | EF1 | Brown, IL | 0.7 | 50 | 1 | ||
| February 28 | 9:43 PM CST | EF1 | Bureau, IL | 2.3 | 50 | |||
| February 28 | 9:55 PM CST | EF3 | White, IL to IN | 44.1 | 440 | 1 | 2 | $5.7 million |
| February 28 | 10:35 PM CST | EF0 | Calloway, KY | 8.8 | 30 | $70,000 | ||
| February 28 | 10:37 PM CST | EF0 | Crawford, KS | 0.1 | 75 | $50,000 | ||
| February 28 | 10:43 PM CST | EF0 | Crawford, KS | 0.1 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| February 28 | 10:44 PM CST | EF1 | Williamson, IL | 7.4 | 25 | $6,000 | ||
| February 28 | 12:03 AM EST | EF2 | Dubois, IN | 5.8 | 150 | $350,000 | ||
| February 28 | 11:28 PM CST | EF1 | Trigg, KY | 8.6 | 400 | $300,000 |
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.