Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2025
EF0 tornado, Preston Heights to Steger, Illinois, March 19, 2025
From Preston Heights to Steger, this EF0 tornado ran 0.3 miles across Will County on March 19, 2025, touching down at 5:18 PM CDT and reaching 75 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
- March 19, 2025
- Touchdown
- 5:18 PM CDT (22:18 UTC)
- Lifted
- 5:19 PM CDT (22:19 UTC)
- On the ground
- 1 minutes
- Path length
- 0.3 miles (0.5 km)
- Path width
- 75 yards (69 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Will County
- Touchdown point
- 41.487, -87.794
- Lift-off point
- 41.491, -87.791
- Record number
- 2503191618-01
The damage survey
107 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LOT, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EFU. The highest wind the damage implies is 90 mph.
- Monee EMA indicates tree damage along Roosevelt Street. Location approximate.
- West facade. Minor damage to siding material
- Debris in street (garage door of a house) in vicinity.
- Shell gas station awning peeled back
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 evening of the 19th, a strong line of thunderstorms produced damaging winds, severe hail, and a few tornadoes across portions of the WFO Chicago CWA.
A tornado touched down just southeast of the intersection of Rowell Avenue and Eunice Avenue in Preston Heights. This brief tornado moved east-northeast across Eunice Avenue, causing shingle damage to one house and uprooting a few trees. Metal panels and pieces of a car port were blown to the northeast at least 200 yards, and one vehicle was blown over. Peak winds were estimated at 75 mph. This tornado dissipated near Howliston Court.
This brief tornado began in a subdivision just east of the Arnold J. Tyler Elementary school in New Lenox. It continued to the northeast and crossed Joliet Highway near Anderson Road and then turned eastward, causing shingle, tree, and fencing damage to houses on either side of Schoolhouse Road. Damage became sporadic as the tornado lifted and dissipated over the Bluestone Commons Retail Center. Damage along the track was consistent with an EF-0 tornado with peak winds near 70 mph.
A tornado briefly touched down near Sauk Trail near the Sauk Trail Forest Preserve in Frankfort. This tornado moved to the north northeast into a residential area along Shetland Drive and Troon Circle. Damage was mostly confined to broken branches and a few small uprooted trees. Peak winds were estimated at 65 mph. The tornado dissipated just past this neighborhood near Harlem Avenue.
A tornado touched down near Kings Road south of Richton Road in Steger. This tornado moved east northeast toward Richton Road, where it intensified briefly and caused damage to shingles at multiple houses. Wind speed was estimated up to 80 mph in this area. The tornado continued east northeast through residential areas, weakening slightly, with damage mostly confined to broken branches. The tornado again intensified briefly as it neared IL-1 where a large section of metal roofing panels was removed from a metal warehouse building. Wind speeds were estimated at 90 mph in this area. Debris from the warehouse was blown across nearby railroad tracks. The tornado weakened as it moved into another residential area, with damage confined to broken branches. The tornado dissipated near Hereford Avenue and Durham Drive.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
16 minutes of warning. NWS LOT issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:02 UTC, 16 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 22:30 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 17:16 UTC and running to 23:14 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:16 UTC | 23:14 UTC | Tornado Watch | LOT |
| 21:24 UTC | 22:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 21:51 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 22:01 UTC | 22:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 22:02 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 22:29 UTC | 22:44 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 03:00 UTC | 12:00 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 Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:58 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
10.3 hours before the tornado, 164 km from the path. March 19, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -88440 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1447 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 58 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 215 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 242 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.5 K/km
Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z
1.7 hours after it, 164 km from the path. March 20, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -15321 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1482 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -158 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 238 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 7.0 K/km
The surface observations
Chicago/Lansing (IGQ), 22 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:35 UTC | 41.4 | -6 | 40° 3 kt | 997 | +RA | |
| 20:55 UTC | 42.6 | -0.2 | 50° 8 kt | 995.3 | HZ | |
| 21:15 UTC | 44.8 | 4.5 | 70° 5 kt | 994.2 | HZ | |
| 21:35 UTC | 47.5 | 5 | 50° 3 kt | 994.2 | ||
| 21:55 UTC | 49 | 3.7 | 0° 0 kt | 993.9 | ||
| 22:15 UTC | 48 | 1.2 | 40° 5 kt | 992.9 | ||
| 22:35 UTC | 48.6 | 4.3 | 90° 5 kt | 991.5 | VCTS | |
| 22:55 UTC | 46.6 | -0.6 | 280° 14 kt | 31 | 995.6 | +TSRA |
| 23:15 UTC | 48 | 1.6 | 300° 7 kt | 995.6 | -TSRA | |
| 23:35 UTC | 47.7 | 0.3 | 280° 6 kt | 14 | 996.6 | VCTSRA |
| 23:55 UTC | 47 | -2 | 340° 4 kt | 8 | 996.3 | RA |
| 00:15 UTC | 45.5 | -3.5 | 20° 9 kt | 994.6 | -RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 27 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:29 UTC | TSTM WND GST 54 | 2 Wnw Morris | Grundy, IL | Reported by personal weather station. |
| 21:45 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | 1 Ese Channahon | Will, IL | Reported by personal weather station KILMORRI23. |
| 21:53 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Se Plainfield | Will, IL | 6 inch diameter limbs down on route 30 before route 59. |
| 21:53 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 1 W Plainfield | Will, IL | Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). |
| 21:54 UTC | TSTM WND GST 67 | 3 Se Batavia | Kane, IL | Reported by personal weather station KILAUROR58. |
| 22:00 UTC | TORNADO | 1 E Preston Heights | Will, IL | Damage surveys confirmed an EF-0 tornado. A tornado touched down just southeast of the intersection of Rowell Avenue and Eunice Avenue. This brief tornado moved east northeast across Eunice Road, causing shingle damage t |
| 22:01 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nne West Chicago | Dupage, IL | Power poles leaning, possibly broken on Prince Crossing just south of IL-64. Time estimated by radar. |
| 22:06 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 Ne Romeoville | Will, IL | Romeoville EMA called in a report of quarter sized with the passing storm. |
| 22:09 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 3 Nw Bolingbrook | Dupage, IL | Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). |
| 22:15 UTC | TSTM WND GST 59 | 6 Nw Peotone | Will, IL | Reported by personal weather station west of Monee. |
| 22:18 UTC | HAIL 1 | 2 E Lemont | Cook, IL | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 22:18 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Sse Frankfort Square | Will, IL | Damage surveys confirmed an EF-0 tornado. A tornado briefly touched down near Sauk Trail near the Sauk Trail Forest Preserve in Frankfort. This tornado moved to the north northeast into a residential area along Shetland |
| 22:20 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 2 W Orland Hills | Cook, IL | |
| 22:23 UTC | TSTM WND GST 57 | 2 Ene Peotone | Will, IL | Reported by personal weather station east of Peotone. |
| 22:28 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Steger | Will, IL | Roof torn off industrial building. Report via social media. Time estimated by radar. |
| 22:28 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Wsw Steger | Will, IL | Damage surveys confirmed an EF-1 tornado. A tornado touched down near Kings Road south of Richton Road in Steger. This tornado moved east northeast toward Richton Road, intensified briefly, causing damage to shingles at |
| 22:29 UTC | TSTM WND GST 71 | 1 Ssw Park Forest | Will, IL | Reported by personal weather station KILPARKF15. |
| 22:30 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 W Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | |
| 22:30 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 1 W Oak Lawn | Cook, IL | Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.). Time estimated from radar. |
| 22:33 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 1 W Hometown | Cook, IL | Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.). Time estimated from radar. |
| 22:35 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Wsw Lynwood | Cook, IL | Damage surveys confirmed an EF-0 tornado. A tornado touched down near Joe Orr Road west of Torrence Avenue in Lynwood. This brief tornado caused damage to the roof of two industrial buildings with winds estimated at 85 m |
| 22:44 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 1 W Chicago Loop | Cook, IL | Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). |
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 March 19, 2025
14 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 19 | 2:49 PM CDT | Unrated | Tazewell, IL | 0.7 | 30 | |||
| March 19 | 4:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Coles, IL | 0.7 | 50 | |||
| March 19 | 5:00 PM CDT | EF0 | Will, IL | 0.3 | 90 | |||
| March 19 | 5:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Will, IL | 1.5 | 60 | |||
| March 19 | 5:28 PM CDT | EF1 | Will, IL | 1.6 | 90 | |||
| March 19 | 5:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Cook, IL | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| March 19 | 5:43 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake, IN | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| March 19 | 5:46 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake, IN | 0.4 | 50 | |||
| March 19 | 5:47 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake, IN | 0.7 | 50 | 1 | ||
| March 19 | 5:50 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake, IN | 1.8 | 50 | |||
| March 19 | 7:54 PM EDT | EF0 | Cass, IN | 0.9 | 50 | $11,000 | ||
| March 19 | 8:20 PM EDT | EF0 | Fulton, IN | 2.7 | 100 | $170,000 | ||
| March 19 | 8:44 PM EDT | EF2 | Bartholomew, IN | 13.6 | 350 | $1.6 million | ||
| March 19 | 10:54 PM EDT | EF1 | Boone, KY | 3.1 | 90 | $250,000 |
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.