Share and Follow
Leading up to Friday, March 31st, we feared that there would be some strong tornadoes sighted in Central Illinois ahead of what looked to be a Moderate Risk day according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Later that morning though, they pulled the trigger on a High Risk, something that Illinois had not been included in since November of 2013.
Below are the officially rated tornadoes by the National Weather Service as of Saturday Night. We anticipate more to roll in as damage surveys continue. We will update those additional reports here on this page once they come in.
CHAPIN TORNADO (5:27 pm – 5:27 pm)
A tornado was briefly spotted near Chapin. It was estimated that it traveled less than a mile before dissipating. No damage was found as a result of this tornado, so it was given an EF-U (Unknown) rating.
SHERMAN TORNADO (6:12 pm – 6:20 pm)
As storms fired up from the west during the early evening hours, things got busy in Sangamon County. An EF-2 tornado touched down 1 mile northwest of Sherman and lasted for 8 minutes before it ended just southeast of Williamsville. Winds speeds with this tornado were estimated at 125-130 mph, which was more than enough to badly damage some houses and send cars off of I-55 as it crossed. A subdivision took noticeable damage east of I-55, where both homes and outdoor structures took heavy damages. Farm buildings were also damaged as the tornado neared its end. No injuries were reported with this tornado.
Read Related Also: Illinois House advances bill to end insurance restrictions on dog breeds
RIVERTON TORNADO (6:18 pm – 6:46 pm)
Not too much longer after the Sherman tornado touched down, another EF-2 began it’s 21-mile path just southeast of Riverton, near where Overpass Road and Old Route 36 cross. This tornado also had wind speeds of around 125-130 mph, and while mostly staying out in country fields, it did manage to cause some damage to farm buildings as well tear the roof off of a business as it made its march over into Lincoln County, where it ended just outside of Latham. No injuries were reported with this tornado.
MORRISONVILLE TORNADO (7:06 pm – 7:08 pm)
This tornado touched down northwest of Morrisonville, where it only managed to make it around 4 miles northeast before ending after only 2 minutes. Damage was limited to some grain bins that were lifted from their bases. The tornado was estimated to have reached wind speeds of 75-80 mph and was reported as an EF-0. No injuries were reported with this tornado.
RANTOUL TORNADO (7:39 pm – 7:48 pm)
This tornado touched down south of the town of Dewey, where it managed to travel 11 miles, including an impactful crossing over I-57 between Rantoul and Ludlow. This tornado reached EF-1 status, with winds between 105-110 mph. As the tornado crossed I-57, it managed to sweep semis off of the road and even topple over a bus full of 28 passengers, which lead to prolonged traffic pause overnight Friday. 2 injuries were reported from this tornado, and multiple power lines were uprooted as a result of the storm’s passage.
