All but one county (Stephenson) in our viewing area was under some sort of weather warning on Wednesday. Today, survey teams from the National Weather Service surveyed damage in Jo Daviess, Carroll, and DeKalb Counties. Here are their findings:

Jo Daviess Co.
* LOCATION…3 SOUTH OF HANOVER ILLINOIS IN THE WOODS
* TIMING…AROUND 6:50 PM.
* INJURIES/FATALITIES…NONE.
* EF-SCALE RATING…EF0.
* ESTIMATED MAX WIND SPEED…65 MPH.
* MAX WIDTH…20 YARDS.
* PATH LENGTH…APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE.
* DAMAGE INFORMATION…BRIEF TOUCHDOWN WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.

Carroll Co.
* LOCATION…THE TRACK BEGAN 6 MILES NORTH OF SAVANNA AND ENDED 4
MILES WEST OF MOUNT CARROLL
* TIMING…FROM 6:53 TO 7:03 PM.
* INJURIES/FATALITIES…1 INJURY.
* EF-SCALE RATING…EF2.
* ESTIMATED MAX WIND SPEED…135 MPH.
* MAX WIDTH…ONE HALF MILE
* PATH LENGTH…APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES.
* DAMAGE INFORMATION…THE PATH OF THE TORNADO WAS WELL DEFINED WITH
SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE. SEVERAL FARM OUT BUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED
AND ONE HOUSE WAS PUSHED OFF ITS FOUNDATION.

DeKalb Co.
* LOCATION…THE TRACK BEGAN 2.5 MILES SW OF SHABBONA AND ENDED 3 MILES SE OF SHABBONA.
*TIMING…FROM 4:32 O 4:37PM
*INJURIES/FATALITIES…NONE
*EF-SCALE RATING…EF-1
*ESTIMATED MAX WIND SPEED…95 MPH.
*MAX WIDTH…100 YARDS.
* PATH LENGTH…2.25 MILES.
* DAMAGE INFORMATION..NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL SURVEYED DAMAGE IN EASTERN
LEE…SOUTHERN DE KALB…AND KENDALL COUNTIES OF ILLINOIS. THE
SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED THAT MUCH OF WHAT THEY FOUND WAS STRAIGHT
LINE WIND DAMAGE…BUT ONE AREA SOUTH OF SHABBONA IN SOUTHEAST DE
KALB COUNTY WAS CONFIRMED TO BE A TORNADO.

THE MAXIMUM DAMAGE OCCURRED OVER AN APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE LONG
SEGMENT OF THE PATH WHERE THE TORNADO SNAPPED NUMEROUS UTILITY
POLES AND AROUND 80 PERCENT OF THE LARGE HARDWOOD TREES. ALONG
THE REMAINDER OF THE TORNADO PATH THERE WAS MINOR TREE DAMAGE.
MINOR SHINGLE PEELING WAS SEEN AT ONE LOCATION…BUT FOR THE MOST
PART THE TORNADO DID NOT INTERSECT ANY STRUCTURES.

THIS TORNADO PATH ALSO WAS COINCIDENT WITH A NEARLY MILE-LONG
SWATH OF LARGE HAIL THAT PRODUCED EXTENSIVE SHREDDING AND SMASHING
OF CROPS.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE WIND DAMAGE IN THIS AREA WILL BE
PROVIDED AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE. THE DAMAGE WAS SCATTERED AND
CONSISTENT WITH MAINLY 60-80 MPH WINDS. THIS INCLUDED ABOUT A
HALF DOZEN GRAIN BINS DENTED AND NUMEROUS LARGE TREES DOWNED.

Posted under tornado

Severe thunderstorms moved through eastern Iowa, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin on Wednesday.  A few tornadoes touched down, including one which tracked through southern Jo Daviess and Carroll County.  There were also a few storms with unconfirmed tornado reports; those reports will be verified by the National Weather Service over the next couple of days.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Office in Romeoville, Illinois—which serves parts of our area—plans to conduct a storm damage survey today.  NWS employees will travel to southeastern Lee and southern DeKalb County, as well as nearby Kendall County.  On Wednesday afternoon, a severe thunderstorm moved through the Paw Paw, Shabbona, Somonauk and Yorkville areas, causing widespread wind damage.  Photos and even a few videos of the event seem to suggest a tornado caused some of the damage.  Toppled trees and power poles as well as damage to a few grain bins were initially reported.  A video of the possible tornado near Paw Paw was posted on the weather blog; you can find it HERE. 

The NWS employees will assess the damage and determine if a tornado did indeed touch down or if strong, straight-line winds are to blame.  We will let you know the outcome as soon as we know.

-Joe

Posted under photos, severe weather, tornado, weather

If you haven’t read through Chief Meteorologist Eric Sorensen’s Tuesday blog post regarding our severe weather threat for Wednesday afternoon, I’d recommend it. You can find his blog post HERE. 

A somewhat stable airmass is in place across the Stateline for Wednesday morning.  Overnight showers and thunderstorms in western Iowa fizzled out before they crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois.  The result is a mostly cloudy morning with a few breaks of sunshine.  Humidity and temperatures will be on the rise throughout the day, with highs expected to reach the middle 80s.

The meteorological ‘ingredients,’ so to speak, are coming together for severe weather later today.  With a surface wind still expected out of the southeast and an upper-atmospheric wind out of the south-southwest, directional wind shear and storm rotation will be a concern this afternoon and evening.  A warm front is still expected to lift into northern Illinois this afternoon, at least as far north as the Interstate 88 corridor.  It is along this front that supercell thunderstorms may develop.  Supercell thunderstorms have the potential to produce strong wind gusts, large damaging hail, and possibly a tornado.  These threats will all be of local concern this afternoon, including torrential rain.

Don’t panic.  However, today is a good day to be ‘weather aware’ and keep an ‘eye on the sky.’  Make sure you have a severe weather safety plan in place.  We haven’t seen a threat like this across the Stateline for a few years.  Let’s plan for the worst and hope for the best.

As far as timing goes, our array of forecasting products are not on the exact same page. However, the best timeframe for severe thunderstorms to develop is this afternoon and evening.  Storms may begin to form in eastern Iowa around 2pm through 4pm and move east-southeast into our area after that.  Some model solutions begin a bit earlier, some begin later around dinner time.  We do know that this afternoon and evening will be active. 

Don’t forget, you can track the storms on your smart phone with our 13 Weather Authority App or sign up for severe weather text alerts.

-Joe

Posted under rain, safety, severe weather, Threatrack, tornado, weather, Wind

Chris Novy, an experienced Stormchaser was on the roads of Oklahoma City after Friday’s tornadoes, but during Flash Flood Warnings. Because he had a dash camera to document the storms, his ordeal was caught on camera.

 
Chris shares his experience because there are lessons to be learned. He says “I approached a flooded road and made a quick U-turn rather than driving into the water. This was a naturally smart move. Unfortunately my turn resulted in me plunging off a hidden embankment and splashing nose-first right into a swollen creek where I sunk straight to the bottom, I traveled several hundred feet underwater with the car quickly filling up. At one point I was completely surrounded by water and just holding my breath in the darkness. Somehow the driver-side and passenger-side windows broke and I was flushed from the vehicle. I surfaced after a bit and found myself racing down the creek. A cop called out to me and I was able to swim to him and his life-saving grab.” Thankfully, Chris is able to share his story of survival in the hopes of saving someone else’s.

While the phrase “Turn around, don’t drown” is something we Meteorologists use frequently during heavy rain, please remember Chris’ story and never drive through a water-covered roadway. He advises you to “leave more time to process your surroundings.” And that’s not too much to ask!

Posted under flooding, tornado, weather, weather geek

This video from Chad Toye of some dirt and dust spinning up on the frontside of the thunderstorms near Roscoe, IL

(5:36:59 PM) nwsbot: MKX issues Severe Thunderstorm Warning [wind: 70 MPH, hail: <.75 IN] for Green, Iowa, Lafayette [WI] till 6:30 PM CDT

(5:32:36 PM) nwsbot: DVN issues Tornado Warning [tornado: RADAR INDICATED, hail: <.75 IN] for Henry, Whiteside [IL] till 6:00 PM CDT …AT 527 PM CDT…A SEVERE SQUALL LINE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES THAT MAY NOT BE VISIBLE DUE TO HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED NEAR ERIE… AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

(5:23:58 PM) nwsbot: DVN issues Severe Thunderstorm Warning [wind: 60 MPH, hail: <.75 IN] for Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson [IA] and Carroll, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Whiteside [IL] till 6:30 PM CDT

5:25PM – Severe storms have moved through the Quad Cities on their way toward Northern Illinois and the Rockford Metro. Extensive damage has been reported along the line with large trees and power lines taken down, as well as a roof blown off a home in Augusta, Illinois, south of Macomb. Please take this storm seriously! It has a history of producing damage. Stay indoors, away from windows if the storm approaches your area. In addition, a Tornado Watch remains in effect. Severe storms occasionally produce tornadoes with little advance warning. -Eric

4:47pm – Quarter sized hail in Lena, IL. Storm now between Winslow, IL and Monroe, WI…headed northeast. -Eric

(4:36:52 PM) nwsbot: Local Storm Report by NWS DVN: 2 NNW Lena [Stephenson Co, IL] trained spotter reports HAIL of pea size (E0.25 INCH) at 04:36 PM CDT —

4:25pm – Severe thunderstorms headed toward Aurora, IL right now just skimming southeastern DeKalb Co. The main threat for us in Northern Illinois will be from the squall line coming in from the Quad Cities area. -Eric

(4:16:31 PM) nwsbot: LOT issues Severe Thunderstorm Warning [wind: 60 MPH, hail: 1.25 IN] for De Kalb, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, La Salle, Will [IL] till 5:15 PM CDT

2:30pm update – Storm over Lee County is severe. There is no rotation with the storm right now, but it remains dangerous as it heads toward Dixon. Remain indoors, away from windows, ready to get into the basement if you live in Dixon. -Eric

(2:16:29 PM) nwsbot: DVN issues Tornado Warning [tornado: RADAR INDICATED, hail: 1.00 IN] for Dubuque [IA] till 2:45 PM CDT …AT 213 PM CDT…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR CENTRALIA…AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

2:10pm update – A developing severe storm is located in Bureau County, headed into Lee County. Large hail to the size of quarters is likely with this storm. If you are in Amboy or Dixon, be prepared for severe weather. As this storm matures, it could produce a tornado within the next hour or so. Be ready for changing weather! -Eric

(2:01:57 PM) nwsbot: DVN continues Severe Thunderstorm Warning [wind: 60 MPH, hail: 1.00 IN] for Bureau [IL] till 2:30 PM CDT

(11:57 AM) nwsbot: MKX issues Tornado Watch for Green, Rock [WI] till 7:00 PM CDT

(12:34 PM) nwsbot: LOT issues Tornado Watch for Boone, De Kalb, Lee,  Ogle, Winnebago [IL] till 8:00 PM CDT

Posted under severe weather, tornado, weather

Click on the map above to slide between before and after photos the EF-5 Moore, Oklahoma tornado. The larger building is Briarwood Elementary School in Moore. You can drag the map in all directions to navigate to another part of the tornado-ravaged area. -Eric

Posted under tornado

We’ve seen the heartbreaking stories for the past few days of folks in Moore, Oklahoma dealing with the aftermath of a violent, deadly EF-5 tornado. I’ve been asked the question “Can that happen here?” And unfortunately the answer is “Yes.” On August 28, 1990, an F-5 tornado struck the town of Plainfield, Illinois, killing 24 people. That storm first spawned a tornado near Pecatonica that afternoon. We know these tornadoes can happen here. The good news is we’ve been lucky. The bad news is we don’t know when it will happen again.

But you can be ready for it when it does. By coming up with a tornado safety plan and owning a NOAA Weather Radio, you will have the tools in place to stay safe. You can purchase one of these NOAA Weather Radios at any Schnuck’s store in Rockford, Janesville, and DeKalb. Every Friday, the 13 Weather Authority team will spend two hours programming the radio specific for your county (although an easy read of the instruction manual will give you the ability to do it).

This Friday, we’ll be at the Schnuck’s store on Charles Street in Southeast Rockford. We hope to see you there! -Eric

Posted under safety, tornado

SaukValley.com uploaded a video of the tornado that we covered Sunday Night. The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for Carroll County and we were first on the air with team coverage. The tornado came very close to Milledgeville with one eyewitness saying it passed very near the town’s Casey’s General Store. There are no reports of damage or injuries with this tornado. (Video courtesy of Nick Strehlow)

Posted under tornado

Before Moore, Oklahoma made news yesterday for the EF-5 tornado, you may have remembered hearing about the city. About the same size as DeKalb, Illinois, Moore was hit by a deadly tornado May 3, 1999. 36 people died with 8,000 homes damaged or destroyed. That tornado caused $1.1Billion in damage, which made it the most costly tornado in U.S. history (until the Joplin, Missouri tornado of 2011).

Yesterday’s tornado actually crossed paths with the deadly 1999 tornado as you can see in this map. No other city has experienced two EF-5 tornadoes, the strongest possible. (Click here to learn more about the Enhanced Fujita Scale.)

In comparison, the tornado in 1999 killed more people…perhaps lower due to the increased lead-time National Weather Service Meteorologists were able to give with warnings and forecasts, and the increase in the number of homes built with safe-shelters. But this is likely to become a billion-dollar disaster once again. Some insurance forecasters are hinting that the damage may exceed the damage caused by the Joplin tornado.

Posted under tornado

Our NBC affiliate KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City is tracking a tornado in their metro. Watch live here:

Posted under tornado