Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2017

EF0 tornado, Ladd, Illinois, March 7, 2017

This EF0 tornado ran 0.3 miles across Bureau County on March 7, 2017, touching down at 12:14 AM CST and reaching 25 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 7, 2017
Touchdown
12:14 AM CST (06:14 UTC)
Lifted
12:15 AM CST (06:15 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.3 miles (0.5 km)
Path width
25 yards (23 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Bureau County
Touchdown point
41.382, -89.205
Lift-off point
41.381, -89.207
Record number
1703070014-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A line of severe storms tracked east over eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois, and northeast Missouri during the evening of March 6th. Widespread winds over 70 mph, small hail, and several tornadoes were reported. Damage from these storms included: downed trees, power poles, destroyed outbuildings, and roof damage to several homes.

A tornado briefly touched down in a field.

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

The warnings

6 minutes of warning. NWS DVN issued a tornado warning for this county at 06:08 UTC, 6 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 06:25 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 02:55 UTC and running to 06:31 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
02:55 UTC06:31 UTCTornado WatchDVN
04:26 UTC05:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVN
05:13 UTC06:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVN
06:08 UTC06:25 UTCTornado WarningDVN
17:00 UTC00:00 UTCRed Flag WarningDVN

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.

Davenport, (KDVN), 00:00Z

6.2 hours before the tornado, 111 km from the path. March 7, 2017.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 2017-03-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 39 joules per kilogram, CIN -343, lifted condensation level 1016 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, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 2017-03-07The 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 407 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 53 knots.1939587897Sfc1 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
39 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-343 J/kg
Surface CAPE
56 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1016 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
407 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
489 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Davenport, (KDVN), 12:00Z

5.8 hours after it, 111 km from the path. March 7, 2017.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2017-03-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -99659, lifted condensation level 1321 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2017-03-07The 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 -164 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 108 knots.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-99659 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1321 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
108 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-164 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-86 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Peru (VYS), 6 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
04:15 UTC64.656.7210° 26 kt361001.4
04:35 UTC64.856.8200° 27 kt351001
04:55 UTC64.857200° 26 kt311000.7
05:15 UTC64.857.2200° 24 kt351000.3
05:35 UTC64.857.2200° 28 kt381000
05:55 UTC64.457.2190° 24 kt38999.7
06:15 UTC64.457.2200° 24 kt36999.7
06:35 UTC5451.3230° 20 kt361002.4TSRA
06:55 UTC54.351.3210° 18 kt211001.7TSRA
07:15 UTC53.851210° 17 kt251002.4TSRA
07:35 UTC53.850.4230° 23 kt301002.4-TSRA
07:55 UTC53.649.8240° 18 kt251002.7VCTS

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

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
05:20 UTCTSTM WND GST 60Whiteside County AirporWhiteside, ILDELAYED REPORT. FROM AWOS.
06:01 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Wsw ChillicothePeoria, ILSEVERAL POWER POLES DOWN ALONG KRAUSE ROAD BETWEEN CLOVERDALE AND SPILLMAN ROADS. REPORTED BY PEORIA JOURNAL-STAR
06:01 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 W HenryMarshall, IL2 STORY BARN DESTROYED, COB SHED WALL BLOWN DOWN, POWER LINES AND POWER POLES DOWN, 4 FOOT DIAMETER TREE SNAPPED.
06:05 UTCTSTM WND GST 50HenryMarshall, ILSMALL LIMBS DOWN
06:07 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 W HennepinPutnam, ILDELAYED REPORT FROM CO-OP OBSERVER. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. TOP OF A LARGE CEDAR TREE AND SEVERAL 2 INCH DIAMETER BRANCHES FROM A LOCUST TREE DOWN IN YARD.
06:07 UTCTSTM WND DMGHennepinPutnam, ILTIME ESTIMATED - TOP OF A LARGE CEDAR TREE AND SEVERAL 2 INCH BRANCHES FROM A LARGE LOCUST TREE BLEW DOWN IN THE HIGH WIND
06:07 UTCTSTM WND DMGHennepinPutnam, ILNUMEROUS TREES DOWN ON STATE ROUTE 26 ACROSS THE COUNTY. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
06:08 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Wnw WashburnMarshall, ILTWO CARS FROM A 108-CAR TRAIN WERE BLOWN OFF THE TRACKS BETWEEN CHILLICOTHE AND WILBERN. REPORTED BY PEORIA JOURNAL-STAR
06:14 UTCTORNADON LaddBureau, IL
06:16 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nnw Mc NabbPutnam, ILMULTIPLE POWER POLES BROKEN ABOUT HALF WAY UP AT 1300E AND 600N. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR
06:16 UTCTSTM WND DMGW Mc NabbPutnam, ILPOWER LINE DOWN JUST WEST OF MC NABB ON THE MC NABB BLACKTOP. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
06:17 UTCTSTM WND DMGMc NabbPutnam, ILNUMEROUS TREES DOWN ON STATE ROUTE 89 ACROSS THE COUNTY. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
06:23 UTCTSTM WND DMGWenonaMarshall, ILTREE BRANCHES BROKEN. REPORTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
06:25 UTCTSTM WND GST 53PeruLa Salle, ILGUST TO 53 MPH AT PERU AWOS.
06:36 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 S OttawaLa Salle, ILPOLES AND LINES DOWN/BENT. RELAYED THROUGH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
06:36 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Ne OttawaLa Salle, ILLARGE TREE DOWNED ONTO ILLINOIS HIGHWAY 71. RELAYED THROUGH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
06:40 UTCTSTM WND GST 62SomonaukDe Kalb, IL
06:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGSandwichDe Kalb, ILPOWER POLES DOWNED BY THE HIGH SCHOOL. HOME WEATHER STATION OBSERVED A GUST OF 73 MPH.

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 March 7, 2017

7 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 712:00 AM CSTEF1Tazewell, IL7.4150$175,000
March 712:09 AM CSTEF2Tazewell, IL2.8200$120,000
March 712:29 AM CSTEF0Jefferson, MO2.680
March 712:39 AM CSTEF0Jefferson, MO1.175
March 712:50 AM CSTEF1Macoupin, IL12.9100
March 71:14 AM CSTEF1Montgomery, IL7.2100
March 72:37 AM CSTEF0Lawrence, AR0.3100$60,000

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.