Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2023
EF1 tornado, DuPage County, Illinois, March 31, 2023
This EF1 tornado ran 1.6 miles across DuPage County on March 31, 2023, touching down at 8:17 PM CDT and reaching 175 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 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
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
- EF1
- Date
- March 31, 2023
- Touchdown
- 8:17 PM CDT (01:17 UTC)
- Lifted
- 8:19 PM CDT (01:19 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 1.6 miles (2.5 km)
- Path width
- 175 yards (160 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- DuPage County
- Touchdown point
- 41.907, -88.018
- Lift-off point
- 41.921, -87.993
- Record number
- 2303311917-01
The damage survey
53 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LOT, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 95 mph.
- Video from Addison Fire Department shows tornado lifting roof off of building northeast of Fire Station 2.
- Apartment complex roof peeled off
- Video from Addison Fire Department shows tornado moving northeast through the back parking lot of Addison Fire Station 2.
- Sound barrier wall blown over
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
The warnings
No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 19:38 UTC and running to 02:23 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19:38 UTC | 02:23 UTC | Tornado Watch | LOT |
| 23:06 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 23:09 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Flood Advisory | LOT |
| 23:13 UTC | 00:11 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | LOT |
| 00:01 UTC | 02:11 UTC | Flood Watch | LOT |
| 00:09 UTC | 04:00 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | LOT |
| 00:52 UTC | 01:42 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 03:00 UTC | 18:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | 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 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 01:04 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), 00:00Z
1.3 hours before the tornado, 202 km from the path. April 1, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 638 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -39 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 972 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 921 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 63 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 347 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 369 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.4
- Supercell composite
- 7.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.9 K/km
Lincoln, IL (KILX), 12:00Z
10.7 hours after it, 202 km from the path. April 1, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -104408 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 24 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1171 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 73 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 38 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 60 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 166 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.3 K/km
The radar
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 35 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:49 UTC | FLOOD | 1 Ne Oak Forest | Cook, IL | 1 FT OF STANDING WATER AT THE CICERO AND 159TH ST. UNDERPASS. |
| 23:16 UTC | FLOOD | Wood Dale | Dupage, IL | SOCIAL MEDIA PHOTO SHOWS AT LEAST 1 FOOT OF STANDING WATER ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS IN WOOD DALE. |
| 00:06 UTC | FLOOD | Wheaton | Dupage, IL | PHOTO SHOWS 1-2 FT OF STANDING WATER COVERING RESIDENTIAL STREET AND FRONT YARD. |
| 00:06 UTC | FLOOD | Wheaton | Dupage, IL | PHOTO SHOWS 1-2 FT OF STANDING WATER COVERING RESIDENTIAL STREET AND FRONT YARDS. |
| 00:11 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Romeoville | Will, IL | I-55 NEAR WEBER ROAD - SEMI-BLOWN OVER ON I-55. |
| 00:13 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nnw Plainfield | Will, IL | 135TH ST AND RT. 30. SHINGLES BLOWN OFF, PATIO FURNITURE BLOWN UP OVER THE HOUSE. |
| 00:15 UTC | FLOOD | 1 Ene Des Plaines | Cook, IL | NUMEROUS PUBLIC REPORTS OF FLOODED ROADWAYS IN PARK RIDGE AND DES PLAINES. |
| 00:15 UTC | FLOOD | 1 Ene Des Plaines | Cook, IL | NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FLOODED ROADWAYS IN PARK RIDGE AND DES PLAINES. |
| 00:15 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Wsw Golf | Cook, IL | NUMEROUS PUBLIC REPORTS OF FLOODED ROADWAYS IN MORTON GROVE. |
| 00:17 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Lemont | Cook, IL | SEMI BLOWN OVER ON I-355 ON LEMONT BRIDGE CROSSING OF THE DESPLAINES RIVER. |
| 00:24 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 E Northfield | Cook, IL | TRAFFIC STOPPED ON I-94 AT WINNETKA ROAD UNDERPASS DUE TO FLOODING. ROAD MAY BE CLOSED IN THIS AREA. |
| 00:44 UTC | TSTM WND GST 64 | 3 E Waterman | De Kalb, IL | PRIVATE WEATHER STATION RECORDED 64 MPH. |
| 00:47 UTC | TSTM WND GST 74 | 1 Ene Dekalb | De Kalb, IL | TREE DAMAGE AND MINOR GARAGE ROOF DAMAGE ALSO REPORTED. |
| 00:53 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Sse Sugar Grove | Kendall, IL | MULTIPLE REPORTS OF DAMAGE, MAINLY TO TREES, IN THE VICINITY OF DICKSON AND GALENA ROADS. DAMAGE CONTINUES ENE TOWARDS MONTGOMERY. |
| 00:53 UTC | TSTM WND GST 64 | 2 Wnw Sugar Grove | Kane, IL | AURORA ASOS MEASURED 64 MPH. |
| 00:55 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Wsw Montgomery | Kendall, IL | THIS TORNADO BEGAN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF CONCORD DRIVE AND COLUMBIA LANE IN MONTGOMERY AND TRACKED NORTHEAST OVER THE FOX RIVER BEFORE DISSIPATING NEAR PHILLIPS PARK IN AURORA. THE TORNADO CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE TO AN OU |
| 00:58 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Wsw North Aurora | Kane, IL | WIRES DOWNED NEAR HERGET MIDDLE SCHOOL IN AURORA. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 00:58 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Wsw North Aurora | Kane, IL | SEMI BLOWN OVER ON I-88 NORTHWEST OF AURORA. |
| 00:59 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Wnw North Aurora | Kane, IL | [DELAYED REPORT] SECTION OF METAL ROOF PANELS REMOVED OFF OF A HORSE STABLE. |
| 01:00 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Wsw Batavia | Kane, IL | AN NWS DAMAGE SURVEY CONFIRMED A BRIEF EF-0 TORNADO WITH PEAK ESTIMATED WINDS NEAR 85 MPH, PATH LENGTH OF 1.6 MILES, AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 225 YARDS TOUCHED DOWN IN BATAVIA. DAMAGE ALONG THE PATH CONSISTED OF SNAPPED TREE |
| 01:01 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sw Batavia | Kane, IL | REPORTS OF EXTENSIVE WIND DAMAGE FROM MAIN/WILSON STREETS SOUTH TOWARDS WALNUT STREET AND EAST ACROSS THE FOX RIVER. MOST CONCENTRATED AREA OF DAMAGE ON ELM STREET WHERE DOZENS OF TREES DOWNED, SOME ON HOUSES. CHIMNEY BL |
| 01:01 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W St. Charles | Kane, IL | AN NWS STORM SURVEY CONFIRMED A BRIEF EF-0 TORNADO WITH ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS OF 85 MPH, PATH LENGTH OF 1.7 MILES, AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 150 YARDS OCCURRED IN ST. CHARLES. DAMAGE ALONG THE PATH CONSISTED OF DOWNED AND UPRO |
| 01:04 UTC | TORNADO | 5 E Plattville | Kendall, IL | AN NWS DAMAGE SURVEY DETERMINED AN EF-0 TORNADO WITH PATH LENGTH OF APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES, MAX WIDTH OF 250 YARDS, AND PEAK WINDS OF 85 MPH TOUCHED DOWN IN EASTERN KANDALL COUNTY AND LIFTED IN WESTERN WILL COUNTY. DAMAGE |
| 01:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Se Aurora | Kane, IL | OAK TREE FELL ONTO THE ROOF OF A HOUSE IN AURORA. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 01:05 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Nw Plainfield | Will, IL | THIS TORNADO BEGAN NEAR W 135TH STREET JUST WEST OF MEADOW LANE AND TRACKED EAST NORTHEAST BEFORE WEAKENING NEAR ILLINOIS ROUTE 59. THE DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO PRIMARILY TREES, BUT SOME SHINGLES AND SIDING WERE REMOVED FR |
| 01:06 UTC | TSTM WND GST 72 | 2 Nw Plainfield | Will, IL | MEASURED AT A DAVIS WEATHER STATION. LARGE PINE TREE DOWNED AND MULTIPLE AIR CONDITIONING UNITS BLOWN OVER NEAR MEADOW LANE AND 135TH ST. |
| 01:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nw Lakewood | Mchenry, IL | [DELAYED REPORT] WOOD AND METAL ROOF PANELS REMOVED FROM A FARM BUILDING. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 01:07 UTC | FLOOD | Monee | Will, IL | STREETS AND YARDS WITH FLOODING. |
| 01:08 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Warrenville | Dupage, IL | 2 FOOT DIAMETER TREE TOPPLED AND WAS BLOCKING BOTH LANES OF COUNTY ROAD #1/RIVER ROAD AT TOWNLINE ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR. |
| 01:09 UTC | TSTM WND GST 64 | 1 N Naperville | Dupage, IL | PRIVATE WEATHER STATION RECORDED. |
| 01:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Ne Channahon | Will, IL | FOUR LARGE ELM TREES DOWNED. |
| 01:11 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Romeoville | Will, IL | CORRECTS PREVIOUS TSTM WND DMG REPORT FROM 2 WNW ROMEOVILLE. I-55 NEAR WEBER ROAD - SEMI-BLOWN OVER ON I-55. |
| 01:13 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nnw Plainfield | Will, IL | CORRECTS PREVIOUS TSTM WND DMG REPORT FROM 2 NNW PLAINFIELD. 135TH ST AND RT. 30. SHINGLES BLOWN OFF, PATIO FURNITURE BLOWN UP OVER THE HOUSE. |
| 01:13 UTC | TSTM WND GST 71 | 1 Wnw Joliet | Will, IL | [DELAYED REPORT]. |
| 01:14 UTC | TSTM WND GST 63 | Nws Chicago-Romeoville | Will, IL | CORRECTS PREVIOUS TSTM WND GST REPORT FROM NWS CHICAGO-ROMEOVILLE. MEASURED AT WFO CHICAGO-ROMEOVILLE, IL. |
| 01:14 UTC | TSTM WND GST 63 | Nws Chicago-Romeoville | Will, IL | MEASURED AT WFO CHICAGO-ROMEOVILLE, IL. |
| 01:17 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Lemont | Cook, IL | CORRECTS PREVIOUS TSTM WND DMG REPORT FROM 1 W LEMONT. SEMI BLOWN OVER ON I-355 ON LEMONT BRIDGE CROSSING OF THE DESPLAINES RIVER. |
| 01:17 UTC | TORNADO | 2 N Lombard | Dupage, IL | AN NWS STORM SURVEY AND SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE FROM THE ADDISON FIRE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THAT AN EF-1 TORNADO WITH ESTIMATED PEAK WIND SPEEDS OF 95 MPH TOUCHED DOWN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF LOMBARD BEFORE TRACKING INTO ADD |
| 01:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sse Rolling Meadows | Cook, IL | [DELAYED REPORT] POWER LINES DOWNED ALONG ALGONQUIN RD IN ROLLING MEADOWS. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 01:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Nnw Manhattan | Will, IL | BARN ROOF BLOWN OFF. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2023 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of March 31, 2023
126 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | 2:18 PM CDT | EF3 | Little Rock tornado, AR | 34.2 | 800 | 54 | $90 million | |
| March 31 | 2:37 PM CDT | Unrated | Tazewell, IL | 0.3 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 3:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Tazewell, IL | 0.9 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 3:23 PM CDT | Unrated | Woodford, IL | 0.6 | 20 | |||
| March 31 | 3:36 PM CDT | EF3 | Wapello, IA | 26.1 | 1,000 | $2.0 million | ||
| March 31 | 3:45 PM CDT | EF1 | Prairie, AR | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 3:52 PM CDT | Unrated | Poweshiek, IA | 3.6 | 60 | |||
| March 31 | 4:05 PM CDT | Unrated | Livingston, IL | 0.0 | 15 | |||
| March 31 | 4:10 PM CDT | EF4 | Keota–Wellman tornado, IA | 19.9 | 700 | 3 | ||
| March 31 | 4:22 PM CDT | EF1 | Grundy, IA | 3.5 | 80 | $50,000 | ||
| March 31 | 4:22 PM CDT | EF1 | Grundy, IA | 4.1 | 80 | $50,000 | ||
| March 31 | 4:30 PM CDT | EF3 | Wynne–Parkin tornado, Arkansas and Tennessee | 72.5 | 1,600 | 4 | 26 | $151 million |
| March 31 | 4:36 PM CDT | EF2 | Benton, IA | 1.7 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 4:37 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, IA | 6.1 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 4:46 PM CDT | EF2 | Johnson, IA | 16.9 | 75 | 2 | ||
| March 31 | 4:47 PM CDT | EF2 | Benton, IA | 4.9 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 4:49 PM CDT | EF2 | Stone, AR | 6.8 | 125 | |||
| March 31 | 4:51 PM CDT | Unrated | Benton, IA | 1.4 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 4:53 PM CDT | EF2 | Johnson, IA | 14.7 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 5:03 PM CDT | Unrated | Buchanan, IA | 1.7 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 5:06 PM CDT | EF2 | Johnson, IA | 9.0 | 75 | |||
| March 31 | 5:06 PM CDT | EF1 | Cedar, IA | 8.3 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 5:14 PM CDT | EF2 | Cedar, IA | 16.4 | 250 | |||
| March 31 | 5:15 PM CDT | Unrated | Scott, IL | 0.5 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 5:17 PM CDT | EF1 | Cedar, IA | 5.2 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 5:18 PM CDT | EF2 | Cedar, IA | 19.6 | 200 | 2 | ||
| March 31 | 5:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Delaware, IA | 4.1 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 5:27 PM CDT | Unrated | Morgan, IL | 0.7 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 5:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Delaware, IA | 11.1 | 90 | |||
| March 31 | 5:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Morgan, IL | 1.1 | 30 | |||
| March 31 | 5:41 PM CDT | EF1 | Jones, IA | 1.4 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 5:41 PM CDT | EF2 | Des Moines, IA | 0.9 | 150 | |||
| March 31 | 5:48 PM CDT | EF3 | Covington tornado, TN | 39.2 | 2,000 | 1 | 28 | $80 million |
| March 31 | 5:50 PM CDT | EF2 | Clinton, IA | 18.0 | 350 | 1 | ||
| March 31 | 5:58 PM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, IA | 1.2 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 6:09 PM CDT | EF0 | Jackson, IA | 0.2 | 15 | |||
| March 31 | 6:12 PM CDT | EF2 | Sangamon, IL | 5.4 | 400 | |||
| March 31 | 6:16 PM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, IA to IL | 1.9 | 100 | 3 | ||
| March 31 | 6:18 PM CDT | EF2 | Sangamon, IL | 21.0 | 200 | |||
| March 31 | 6:24 PM CDT | EF2 | Henry, IL | 3.5 | 300 | |||
| March 31 | 6:33 PM CDT | EF2 | Henry, IL | 3.0 | 200 | |||
| March 31 | 6:36 PM CDT | EF2 | Henry, IL | 9.3 | 440 | |||
| March 31 | 6:37 PM CDT | EF2 | Henry, IL | 6.8 | 650 | |||
| March 31 | 6:39 PM CDT | EF1 | Carroll, IL | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 6:47 PM CDT | EF0 | Macoupin, IL | 6.3 | 150 | $25,000 | ||
| March 31 | 6:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Whiteside, IL | 13.9 | 150 | |||
| March 31 | 6:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Iowa, WI | 1.1 | 75 | $300,000 | ||
| March 31 | 6:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Lafayette, WI | 5.5 | 75 | $1.0 million | ||
| March 31 | 6:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Carroll, IL | 11.0 | 200 | |||
| March 31 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Lafayette, WI | 6.6 | 75 | $600,000 | ||
| March 31 | 7:03 PM CDT | Unrated | Phillips, AR | 2.8 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 7:06 PM CDT | EF0 | Christian, IL | 4.1 | 20 | |||
| March 31 | 7:08 PM CDT | EF2 | Lee, IL | 9.3 | 350 | |||
| March 31 | 7:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Lee, IL | 7.8 | 75 | |||
| March 31 | 7:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Christian, IL | 1.7 | 30 | |||
| March 31 | 7:16 PM CDT | EF0 | Green, WI | 3.0 | 75 | $400,000 | ||
| March 31 | 7:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Green, WI | 10.2 | 50 | $600,000 | ||
| March 31 | 7:24 PM CDT | EF1 | Ogle, IL | 27.5 | 600 | 1 | 40 | |
| March 31 | 7:26 PM CDT | EF0 | Green, WI | 5.8 | 75 | $400,000 | ||
| March 31 | 7:31 PM CDT | EF1 | Winnebago, IL | 5.8 | 300 |
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.