Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2019
EF0 tornado, Lockport Lewis Arpt, Illinois, May 27, 2019
This EF0 tornado ran 3.2 miles across Will County on May 27, 2019, touching down at 2:04 PM CDT and reaching 300 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.
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
- May 27, 2019
- Touchdown
- 2:04 PM CDT (19:04 UTC)
- Lifted
- 2:14 PM CDT (19:14 UTC)
- On the ground
- 10 minutes
- Path length
- 3.2 miles (5.2 km)
- Path width
- 300 yards (274 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Will County
- Touchdown point
- 41.617, -88.137
- Lift-off point
- 41.612, -88.075
- Record number
- 1905271304-01
The damage survey
2 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LOT, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 65 mph.
- Based on reports the tornado lasted than one minute.
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
What the Weather Service recorded
Severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the afternoon of May 27th producing large hail, wind damage and four tornadoes.
A tornado moved through portions of southwest Romeoville, tracking just north of Lewis University Airport. Damage was relatively minor, consisting mostly of light roof damage, leaning utility poles, and tree limbs blown down.
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 tornado watch, issued at 18:25 UTC and running to 23:14 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18:25 UTC | 23:14 UTC | Tornado Watch | LOT |
| 18:43 UTC | 19:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 19:00 UTC | 21:00 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 19:07 UTC | 19:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 21:00 UTC | 21:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 21:14 UTC | 21:39 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 21:17 UTC | 00:15 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 21:43 UTC | 00:45 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 22:27 UTC | 01:30 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 00:13 UTC | 12:00 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 02:51 UTC | 21:53 UTC | Flood Warning | 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 16:22 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
7.1 hours before the tornado, 168 km from the path. May 27, 2019.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -70867 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1092 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 42 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 10 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 90 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 124 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.4 K/km
Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z
4.9 hours after it, 168 km from the path. May 28, 2019.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 414 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -141 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1227 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1544 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 72 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 234 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.7 K/km
The surface observations
Romeoville/Chi (LOT), 1 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:15 UTC | 74 | 63 | 150° 11 kt | 1012.5 | VCTS | |
| 17:35 UTC | 74.5 | 64 | 160° 10 kt | 1012.2 | ||
| 17:55 UTC | 73.8 | 63.5 | 150° 11 kt | 17 | 1011.5 | VCTS |
| 18:15 UTC | 73.8 | 64.2 | 150° 11 kt | 1010.8 | VCTS | |
| 18:35 UTC | 70.7 | 65.3 | 140° 8 kt | 19 | 1010.5 | -VCTSRA |
| 18:55 UTC | 70.7 | 66.2 | 120° 16 kt | 1008.8 | VCTS | |
| 19:15 UTC | 64.4 | 62.6 | 0° 0 kt | 1009.5 | +TSRA | |
| 19:35 UTC | 65 | 64.4 | 350° 3 kt | 1009.8 | -RA | |
| 19:55 UTC | 65 | 64.4 | 70° 3 kt | 1009.1 | ||
| 20:15 UTC | 66.2 | 65.5 | 0° 0 kt | 1008.5 | ||
| 20:35 UTC | 65.8 | 64.8 | 0° 0 kt | 1008.1 | ||
| 20:55 UTC | 66.2 | 65.3 | 0° 0 kt | 1007.1 | +TSRA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 2 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 19:03 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:21 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1.9 Ne Somonauk | De Kalb, IL | CORRECTS PREVIOUS HAIL REPORT FROM 1.9 NE SOMONAUK FOR TIME. |
| 18:44 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | Naperville | Dupage, IL | FLOODING 1 FOOT NEAR NAPERVILLE ROAD. |
| 18:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 N Yorkville | Kendall, IL | 6FT DIAMETER TREE UPROOTED. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. |
| 18:48 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Nne Plattville | Kendall, IL | A VERY BRIEF ROPE TORNADO OCCURRED IN A FIELD SOUTH OF WALKER ROAD BETWEEN 1:48 AND 1:49 PM. LOCATION IS ESTIMATED BY RADAR AND DETAILED SPOTTER REPORT AS WELL AS A PHOTO TAKEN NEARBY FROM WALKER ROAD. THE TORNADO LASTED |
| 18:50 UTC | HAIL 1 | Aurora | Kane, IL | |
| 18:55 UTC | HAIL 1 | Aurora | Kane, IL | |
| 18:55 UTC | HAIL 2 | Oswego | Kendall, IL | MULTIPLE REPORTS OF HAIL TO 2 IN OWSEGO. WINDS TO 60 MPH. |
| 19:00 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 0.49 | Oswego | Kendall, IL | HEAVY RAIN IN 15 MINUTES. 6-10 OF STANDING WATER IN NEIGHBORHOOD. |
| 19:00 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 3.01 | 1.9 Ne Somonauk | De Kalb, IL | 3 INCHES OF RAIN IN 30 MINUTES. |
| 19:00 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 3.01 | 2 Ne Somonauk | De Kalb, IL | 3.01 INCHES IN 30 MINUTES REPORTED BY COCORAHS OBSERVER. |
| 19:03 UTC | HAIL 1 | Plainfield | Will, IL | |
| 19:04 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Sw Romeoville | Will, IL | TORNADO WITH ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WINDS OF 85 MPH TRACKED FOR 3.3 MILES EASTWARD ACROSS THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE TOWN OF ROMEOVILLE. ESTIMATED MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH WAS 300 YARDS. DAMAGE WAS LIGHT ROOF DAMAGE, LEANING UTILITY POL |
| 19:07 UTC | HAIL 1 | 3 S Naperville | Dupage, IL | 95TH AND NAPERVILLE PLAINFIELD ROAD IN SOUTH NAPEVILLE. |
| 19:08 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | Bolingbrook | Will, IL | |
| 19:09 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | Bolingbrook | Will, IL | |
| 19:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nne Crystal Lawns | Will, IL | TREE UPROOTED ALONG RENWICK ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. |
| 19:10 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | Bolingbrook | Will, IL | |
| 19:11 UTC | HAIL 1 | Romeoville | Will, IL | |
| 19:13 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | Romeoville | Will, IL | HIGHEST GUST TO 48 MPH AT NWS IN ROMEOVILE, IL. |
| 19:15 UTC | HAIL 1 | 3 Wsw Bolingbrook | Will, IL | TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. |
| 19:16 UTC | HAIL 1 | Bolingbrook | Will, IL | |
| 19:20 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 1.32 | 2.8 Ssw Naperville | Dupage, IL | HEAVY DOWNPOUR 2:04 TO 2:20. |
| 19:22 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 2 | Bolingbrook | Will, IL | ESTIMATED 2 INCH FLOOD DEPTH. ASHBURY/LIBERTY. |
| 19:29 UTC | FLOOD | Naperville | Dupage, IL | ESTIMATED TWO FEET OF STANDING WATER REPORTED IN ROADWAYS. |
| 19:30 UTC | FLOOD | 5 Ese Boulder Hill | Will, IL | WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER REPORTS FLOODING OF HEGGS ROAD BETWEEN 111TH AND 119TH. |
| 19:30 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Aurora | Kane, IL | |
| 19:33 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 1.88 | Winfield | Dupage, IL | FELL IN 45 MINUTES. |
| 19:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ene Orland Park | Cook, IL | DELAYED REPORT. A SECTION OF A TREE SNAPPED OFF AND FELL ONTO A HOUSE APPROXIMATELY AT 8600 BLOCK OF W 145TH STREET. TIME IS ESTIMATED BY RADAR AND EM REPORT TO HAVE OCCURRED BETWEEN 2:30 AND 2:35 PM. |
| 19:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 N Worth | Cook, IL | BRIDGEVIEW FD REPORTS WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWERLINES FROM HAIL/WIND IN VICINITY OF STATION #2. DAMAGE ALONG HARLEM AVE AND CICERO AVE STRETCHED FROM APPROXIMATELY 103RD TO 111TH. |
| 19:40 UTC | FLOOD | 1 N Palos Hills | Cook, IL | BRIDGEVIEW FD REPORTS FLOODING OF ROBERTS ROAD UP TO 2FT IN DEPTH. WATER RESCUES ALSO REPORTED IN PALOS HEIGHTS, CHICAGO RIDGE, AND OAK LAWN. |
| 19:40 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | 1 Ne Palos Hills | Cook, IL | BRIDGEVIEW FD REPORTS HAIL OF UP TO 1.5 IN IN VICINITY OF STATION #2. |
| 19:42 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Aurora | Kane, IL | |
| 19:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ese Lemont | Cook, IL | TREE UPROOTED, NUMEROUS BRANCHES DOWN IN THE AREA MAKING ROADWAYS NEAR IMPASSABLE. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. |
| 19:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Alsip | Cook, IL | BROADCAST MEDIA SHARED PICTURE OF GAS STATION CANOPY BLOW OFF IN ALSIP. EXACT LOCATION UNKNOWN. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. |
| 19:45 UTC | HAIL 1 | 2 Ese Lemont | Cook, IL | HAIL OF AT LEAST 1.0IN SIZE, POSSIBLY UP TO 1.5IN SIZE. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. |
| 19:46 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Evergreen Park | Cook, IL | REPORTS OF NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN NEAR AND AROUND THE 19TH WARD. RELAYED BY CHICAGO OEMC AND TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR. |
| 19:49 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 1.2 | 3 Sw Midway Airport | Cook, IL | 1.20 INCHES OF RAIN MEASURED IN 19 MINUTES. |
| 20:15 UTC | FLOOD | 3 Wsw Bolingbrook | Will, IL | 1-2 FEET OF STANDING WATER ON ROADWAYS IN VICINITY OF WEBER AND LILY CACHE IN BOLINGBROOK. |
| 20:26 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 1.73 | 3 Sw Midway Airport | Cook, IL | FELL IN 48 MINUTES. UPDATE TO EARLIER REPORT. |
| 20:35 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 1.9 | Warrenville | Dupage, IL | TOTAL RAINFALL OVER ABOUT 1 HOUR PERIOD. DURATION ESTIMATED BY RAINFALL. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2019 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 27, 2019
62 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27 | 1:10 AM CDT | EF0 | Potter, TX | 1.6 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 1:13 AM CDT | EF0 | Mitchell, KS | 0.0 | 25 | $25,000 | ||
| May 27 | 12:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn, MN | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 12:23 PM CDT | EF1 | Floyd, IA | 9.8 | 105 | $625,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Chickasaw, IA | 4.1 | 25 | $35,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:23 PM CDT | EF0 | Fillmore, MN | 0.2 | 25 | $15,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:25 PM CDT | EF1 | Howard, IA | 12.6 | 95 | $1.3 million | ||
| May 27 | 1:25 PM CDT | EF3 | Van Buren, IA | 7.3 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 1:29 PM CDT | EF0 | Fillmore, MN | 0.2 | 15 | $5,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:36 PM CDT | EF1 | Lee, IA | 0.5 | 20 | |||
| May 27 | 1:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Fillmore, MN | 0.2 | 25 | $20,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:47 PM CDT | EF0 | Kendall, IL | 1.0 | 30 | |||
| May 27 | 1:49 PM CDT | EF0 | Howard, IA to MN | 6.2 | 30 | $202,000 | ||
| May 27 | 2:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Des Moines, IA | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| May 27 | 3:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, IL | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 27 | 3:02 PM MDT | EF0 | Morgan, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 3:22 PM MDT | EF0 | Logan, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 4:27 PM CDT | EF0 | Lee, IL | 0.7 | 30 | |||
| May 27 | 4:27 PM CDT | EF0 | Cook, IL | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 4:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake, IN | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 4:38 PM CDT | EF0 | Woodford, IL | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 27 | 3:40 PM MDT | EF0 | Elmore, ID | 0.5 | 10 | |||
| May 27 | 4:35 PM MDT | EF0 | Logan, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 4:44 PM MDT | EF0 | Sedgwick, CO | 0.0 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 4:53 PM MDT | EF0 | Adams, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 5:04 PM MDT | EF0 | Weld, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 5:25 PM MDT | Unrated | Yuma, CO | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| May 27 | 7:34 PM EDT | EF1 | Miami, IN | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 7:51 PM EDT | EF3 | Fulton, IN | 13.7 | 800 | |||
| May 27 | 5:51 PM MDT | EF0 | Phillips, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 8:05 PM EDT | EF2 | Madison, IN | 5.9 | 100 | 1 | $150,000 | |
| May 27 | 8:10 PM EDT | EF2 | Grant, IN | 4.1 | 150 | |||
| May 27 | 8:26 PM EDT | EF1 | Wabash, IN | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 8:29 PM EDT | EF1 | Henry, IN | 0.2 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| May 27 | 6:31 PM MDT | EF0 | Phillips, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 8:39 PM EDT | EF1 | Henry, IN | 2.5 | 200 | $40,000 | ||
| May 27 | 6:43 PM MDT | EF0 | Chase, NE | 0.2 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 8:59 PM EDT | EF3 | Wells, IN | 12.8 | 1,200 | 2 | ||
| May 27 | 7:23 PM MDT | EF1 | Chase, NE | 5.5 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| May 27 | 7:37 PM MDT | EF0 | Chase, NE | 0.1 | 50 | $15,000 | ||
| May 27 | 9:48 PM EDT | EF1 | Darke, OH | 1.4 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| May 27 | 10:02 PM EDT | EF3 | Mercer, OH | 10.8 | 250 | 1 | 8 | $15 million |
| May 27 | 10:04 PM EDT | EF1 | Darke, OH | 0.5 | 200 | $500,000 | ||
| May 27 | 8:05 PM MDT | EF0 | Chase, NE | 0.2 | 25 | $15,000 | ||
| May 27 | 10:25 PM EDT | EF3 | Darke, OH | 10.5 | 1,320 | 1 | $10 million | |
| May 27 | 10:33 PM EDT | EF1 | Auglaize, OH | 1.3 | 150 | $500,000 | ||
| May 27 | 10:41 PM EDT | EF4 | Dayton tornado, OH | 18.2 | 1,050 | 166 | $500 million | |
| May 27 | 10:47 PM EDT | EF0 | Auglaize, OH | 4.0 | 150 | $50,000 | ||
| May 27 | 10:47 PM EDT | EF0 | Miami, OH | 5.6 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:01 PM EDT | EF0 | Auglaize, OH | 0.2 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:08 PM EDT | EF0 | Miami, OH | 1.1 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:12 PM EDT | EF3 | Montgomery, OH | 9.9 | 1,230 | $51 million | ||
| May 27 | 11:19 PM EDT | EF0 | Miami, OH | 3.0 | 50 | $70,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:28 PM EDT | EF0 | Hardin, OH | 2.0 | 50 | $25,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:34 PM EDT | EF2 | Montgomery, OH | 7.6 | 440 | $1.0 million | ||
| May 27 | 10:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Nuckolls, NE | 0.0 | 75 | $75,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:48 PM EDT | EF1 | Greene, OH | 5.8 | 250 | $53,000 | ||
| May 27 | 12:23 AM EDT | EF0 | Greene, OH | 4.2 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| May 27 | 12:57 AM EDT | EF1 | Pickaway, OH | 3.8 | 150 | $1.0 million | ||
| May 27 | 1:09 AM EDT | EF1 | Pickaway, OH | 1.6 | 75 | $1.5 million |
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.