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According to preliminary reports, it was an EF4 tornado that struck
in Washington, Ill. (See more detailed report at bottom of article.)
Homes were leveled and neighborhoods were decimated, with many
injuries and one reported death. Nearby Pekin residential areas saw
extensive damage. East Peoria and Normal sustained significant
damage in business and residential areas. And, there was
considerable destruction in the southeast, east and northeast areas
of Logan County.
Severe storm warnings and tornado warnings went out southwest of
Logan County around 10 a.m., with Jacksonville reporting hail and
wind. By 11 a.m. the weather had moved into the area, with high
winds and rain.
Wind blew over a tractor-trailer on Interstate 155 a few miles
north of Lincoln. A cow was reported loose on a roadway to the
north.
Wind snapped off numerous power poles and left others damaged or
leaning, with wires on roadways throughout the county. A number of
trees were damaged or uprooted, blocking roadways and causing
hazards. A tree blocked 1250th Avenue at 2300th Street. Wires were
downed around Mount Pulaski and Cortland and other areas of the
county.
The severe weather resulted in widespread power outages, with 261
reported out in the 62656 ZIP code during the day; all but two were
restored by 9 p.m.
A cold front clashed with a large system of warm, moist air
coming up out of the southwest. Temperatures had reached over 72
degrees, fueling large, long-lasting tornadoes. The storms rampaged
all day, with primary destructive damage occurring in Illinois,
Kentucky and Indiana into Michigan. High winds and heavy rain
created whiteout conditions for brief periods in many areas, and
there were reports of large, damaging hail.
Two crews from the National Weather Service, Central Illinois
office, are conducting preliminary tornado damage surveys Monday.
Two survey crews from the Lincoln office were to head out early
Monday to evaluate the damage from the Sunday tornado outbreak.
According to the NWS, "One crew will head to the eastern Peoria
metro area, and the other will evaluate the damage in Champaign and
Vermilion counties. Tornado intensity ratings will be assigned after
the on-site damage assessment is completed."
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Preliminary NWS report on Washington as of 8:23 a.m. Monday:
(Copy)
Preliminary NWS
damage survey for 11/17/13 tornado event..
.Overview... A
brief, preliminary damage survey was done in the city of Washington,
Illinois in Tazewell County during the evening of November 17th. A
survey team from the NWS Lincoln office will be doing a more
complete survey of the damage today.
At this time, there
is one confirmed fatality. Many media reports are indicating three.
However, these reports are confusing the fact that two fatalities
also occurred in Washington County near the town of New Minden, IL.
See
www.Weather.Gov/lsx for information about this from the St.
Louis, MO NWS office.
.Washington, IL...
Preliminary rating:
EF-4
Estimated peak wind: 170-190 mph
Path length /statute/: not determined at this time
Path width /maximum/: not determined at this time
Fatalities: 1 confirmed
Injuries: 75 (estimated)
Start date: Nov 17
2013
Start time: 11:05 am CST
EF scale: the
Enhanced Fujita scale classifies tornadoes into the following
categories.
EF0... weak... ...
65 to 85 mph
EF1... weak... ... 86 to 110 mph
EF2... strong... .111 to 135 mph
EF3... strong... .136 to 165 mph
EF4... violent... 166 to 200 mph
EF5... violent... >200 mph
Note:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the events and publication in NWS
storm data.
(From
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/
news/display_cmsstory.php?
wfo=ilx&storyid=98191&source=0)
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