Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2025
EF2 tornado, Baden Baden to Mulberry Grove, Illinois, April 2, 2025
From Baden Baden to Mulberry Grove, this EF2 tornado ran 22.8 miles across Bond and Fayette counties on April 2, 2025, touching down at 5:05 PM CDT and reaching 200 yards wide. It killed nobody and injured 1, and did $385,000 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 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 mphthis tornado
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
- EF2
- Date
- April 2, 2025
- Touchdown
- 5:05 PM CDT (22:05 UTC)
- Lifted
- 5:29 PM CDT (22:29 UTC)
- On the ground
- 24 minutes
- Path length
- 22.8 miles (36.7 km)
- Path width
- 200 yards (183 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $385,000
- Counties
- Bond and Fayette counties
- Touchdown point
- 38.787, -89.542
- Lift-off point
- 39.001, -89.222
- Record number
- 2504021605-01
The damage survey
36 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LSX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 135 mph.
- A little debris also on the ground.
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
During the afternoon and early evening of April 2, 2025, numerous strong to severe thunderstorms impacted southeast and east-central Missouri as well as south-central Illinois. Large hail, damaging wind, and a few tornadoes were observed. This activity occurred on the northwest extent of a significant tornado outbreak later that evening across the Ohio River Valley.
At approximately 5:05 PM a tornado began northwest of Pierron in Bond County, IL, damaging a few trees. The tornado tracked northeast over Dolls Orchard Avenue, causing further tree damage while paralleling Interstate 70 to the south. The most significant damage was surveyed at the intersection of Millersburg Road and Cottonwood Avenue, where several structures were almost completely destroyed and debris lofted for nearly a mile. One injury was reported at this location. Significant tree damage was also observed, with several large trunks being sheared off and bark peeled back. The tornado continued northeast through the southern fringe of Greenville, causing minor tree and structural damage. Further weakening was observed as the tornado approached Mulberry Grove, where a barn collapsed. In Bond County the tornado had a path length of 19.85 miles with a path width of 200 yards. The tornado was rated EF2.
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 21:20 UTC and running to 23:52 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:47 UTC | 21:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | LSX |
| 17:00 UTC | 22:41 UTC | Wind Advisory | LSX |
| 21:20 UTC | 23:52 UTC | Tornado Watch | LSX |
| 21:38 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX |
| 22:11 UTC | 22:42 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX |
| 22:16 UTC | 22:32 UTC | Tornado Warning | LSX |
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 19:57 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
10.1 hours before the tornado, 155 km from the path. April 2, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -8642 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 864 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 64 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 61 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 948 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 1028 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.9
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 2.2 K/km
Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z
1.9 hours after it, 155 km from the path. April 3, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 205 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -103 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 205 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1049 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 76 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 27 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 192 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 234 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 0.9
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.5 K/km
The radar
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:02 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:32 UTC | TSTM WND GST 64 | 1 Ene Cahokia | St. Clair, IL | REPORTED AT CPS. |
| 21:38 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 1 W Fairview Heights | St. Clair, IL | Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.). |
| 21:40 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | 3 Wnw Belleville | St. Clair, IL | |
| 21:44 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 2 N O'Fallon | St. Clair, IL | Report from mPING: Golf Ball (1.75 in.). |
| 21:55 UTC | HAIL 0.7 | Saint Jacob | Madison, IL | |
| 22:05 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Ene Pierron | Bond, IL | *** 1 INJ *** NWS survey team found that an EF-2 tornado formed in southwestern Bond County and generally tracked along I-70 northeastward into Fayette County. |
| 22:12 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Albers | Clinton, IL | Trees down. |
| 22:14 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Wnw Dudleyville | Bond, IL | 3 homes damaged. |
| 22:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 N Elkton | Washington, IL | Several large limbs broken off of trees. |
| 22:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Bartelso | Clinton, IL | Trees down. |
| 22:22 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Beckemeyer | Clinton, IL | Trees down. |
| 22:37 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Ramsey | Fayette, IL | Minor roof damage to a home. |
| 22:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 W Tower Hill | Shelby, IL | 3 inch tree limbs broken by high winds. |
| 22:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Beaucoup | Washington, IL | Damage to a farm building. |
| 23:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Beecher City | Effingham, IL | Power pole snapped by high winds. |
| 23:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Salem | Marion, IL | Reports of sporadic tree damage throughout the county, as well as a few downed powerlines near Salem. |
| 23:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Altamont | Effingham, IL | Two apartment buildings in Altamont lost their roofs at the A Frame Apartments. |
| 23:08 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Sse Altamont | Effingham, IL | EF1 strength, max wind speed 105 mph, path length 2.55 miles. Tracked northeast. Much of the structural damage was concentrated along N. 500th St. north of E. 700th Ave., where a home lost a portion of its roof. |
| 23:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Se Altamont | Effingham, IL | Outbuilding blown onto road. Time estimated from radar. |
| 23:13 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 3 Sw Beecher City | Effingham, IL | Report from mPING: Street/road flooding. |
| 23:13 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 6 N Altamont | Effingham, IL | Flood roads in Moccasin from heavy rainfall. |
| 23:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nw Watson | Effingham, IL | Large branch broken off tree. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2025 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 2, 2025
87 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2 | 5:13 AM CDT | EF1 | Osage, OK | 3.7 | 250 | $10,000 | ||
| April 2 | 6:37 AM CDT | EF1 | Tulsa, OK | 10.7 | 600 | $575,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:29 AM CDT | EF2 | Vernon, MO | 6.5 | 200 | $500,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:30 AM CDT | EF1 | Vernon, MO | 16.6 | 200 | $1.2 million | ||
| April 2 | 8:34 AM CDT | EF2 | Cooper, MO | 6.1 | 200 | $100,000 | ||
| April 2 | 11:00 AM MST | Unrated | Maricopa, AZ | 0.5 | 5 | |||
| April 2 | 3:13 PM CDT | EF3 | Crawford, MO | 21.9 | 200 | $685,000 | ||
| April 2 | 3:16 PM CDT | EF1 | Howell, MO | 1.1 | 350 | $10,000 | ||
| April 2 | 3:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Logan, IL | 12.7 | 30 | |||
| April 2 | 4:21 PM CDT | EF0 | Madison, TN | 1.9 | 150 | $50,000 | ||
| April 2 | 5:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Iroquois, IL | 2.3 | 400 | |||
| April 2 | 5:09 PM CDT | EF0 | Iroquois, IL | 2.2 | 300 | |||
| April 2 | 5:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Ripley, MO | 1.1 | 125 | $185,000 | ||
| April 2 | 5:56 PM CDT | EF2 | Randolph, AR | 24.6 | 500 | $250,000 | ||
| April 2 | 5:56 PM CDT | EF2 | Arkansas, AR | 8.3 | 100 | |||
| April 2 | 5:59 PM CDT | EF1 | Poinsett, AR | 7.5 | 400 | $50,000 | ||
| April 2 | 6:08 PM CDT | EF1 | Effingham, IL | 2.5 | 125 | |||
| April 2 | 6:13 PM CDT | EF2 | Wayne, MO | 8.3 | 175 | $630,000 | ||
| April 2 | 6:21 PM CDT | EF1 | Arkansas, AR | 0.9 | 50 | |||
| April 2 | 6:23 PM CDT | EF1 | Effingham, IL | 8.3 | 100 | |||
| April 2 | 6:26 PM CDT | EF3 | Poinsett, AR | 24.2 | 1,500 | 8 | $4.0 million | |
| April 2 | 6:28 PM CDT | EF2 | Craighead, AR | 14.4 | 700 | $750,000 | ||
| April 2 | 6:29 PM CDT | EF0 | Cumberland, IL | 4.0 | 150 | |||
| April 2 | 6:32 PM CDT | EF2 | Stoddard, MO | 14.7 | 600 | $20 million | ||
| April 2 | 6:33 PM CDT | EF2 | Cumberland, IL to IN | 48.9 | 1,200 | $200,000 | ||
| April 2 | 6:36 PM CDT | EF1 | Butler, MO | 13.4 | 125 | $2.0 million | ||
| April 2 | 6:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Poinsett, AR | 6.5 | 75 | $20,000 | ||
| April 2 | 6:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Lafayette, AR | 7.6 | 250 | $135,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:52 PM EDT | EF1 | Marshall, IN | 17.8 | 175 | $610,000 | ||
| April 2 | 6:56 PM CDT | EF1 | Cape Girardeau, MO to IL | 8.0 | 150 | $765,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:02 PM CDT | EF1 | Clark, IL | 8.1 | 200 | |||
| April 2 | 7:08 PM CDT | EF1 | Union, IL | 10.0 | 50 | $35,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:17 PM CDT | EF1 | Lafayette, AR | 0.3 | 75 | $50,000 | ||
| April 2 | 8:24 PM EDT | EF1 | Parke, IN | 10.8 | 120 | $200,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Union, IL | 1.1 | 25 | $5,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:30 PM CDT | EF1 | Scott, MO | 1.0 | 250 | $600,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Crittenden, AR | 3.1 | 75 | $30,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:35 PM CDT | EF2 | Johnson, IL | 6.2 | 250 | $525,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:46 PM CDT | EF1 | Steuben, IN to MI | 10.8 | 600 | $200,000 | ||
| April 2 | 8:49 PM EDT | EF1 | Branch, MI | 3.7 | 125 | $50,000 | ||
| April 2 | 7:51 PM CDT | EF1 | Williamson, IL | 3.3 | 75 | $175,000 | ||
| April 2 | 8:00 PM CDT | EF2 | Carlisle, KY | 9.7 | 200 | $180,000 | ||
| April 2 | 9:05 PM EDT | EF2 | Hendricks, IN | 13.0 | 200 | 1 | $1.2 million | |
| April 2 | 8:14 PM CDT | EF1 | Saline, IL | 5.0 | 300 | $85,000 | ||
| April 2 | 9:15 PM EDT | EF1 | Hendricks, IN | 1.5 | 300 | $200,000 | ||
| April 2 | 8:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Dyer, TN | 4.7 | 100 | $1.9 million | ||
| April 2 | 8:18 PM CDT | EF2 | Ballard, KY | 18.2 | 1,000 | 4 | $3.2 million | |
| April 2 | 8:23 PM CDT | EF1 | Gallatin, IL | 9.2 | 100 | $170,000 | ||
| April 2 | 9:28 PM EDT | EF1 | Hamilton, IN | 6.6 | 150 | $600,000 | ||
| April 2 | 8:35 PM CDT | EF1 | Obion, TN | 9.3 | 350 | $325,000 | ||
| April 2 | 9:43 PM EDT | EF2 | Madison, IN to IL, KY | 2.1 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| April 2 | 8:43 PM CDT | EF2 | Livingston, IL to KY | 12.0 | 150 | $235,000 | ||
| April 2 | 9:46 PM EDT | EF1 | Madison, IN | 11.6 | 150 | $400,000 | ||
| April 2 | 8:51 PM CDT | EF2 | Vanderburgh, IN | 10.6 | 150 | $3.4 million | ||
| April 2 | 8:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Posey, IN | 1.1 | 75 | $1.2 million | ||
| April 2 | 9:52 PM EDT | EF0 | Madison, IN | 4.9 | 100 | $300,000 | ||
| April 2 | 8:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Vanderburgh, IN | 17.0 | 230 | $1.2 million | ||
| April 2 | 9:57 PM EDT | EF2 | Madison, IN | 15.2 | 200 | $3.2 million | ||
| April 2 | 9:00 PM CDT | EF2 | Weakley, TN | 6.4 | 350 | $250,000 | ||
| April 2 | 9:01 PM CDT | EF1 | Vanderburgh, IN | 4.0 | 75 | $275,000 |
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.