1990 Plainfield tornado
The presence of such a high dew point did not necessarily predict a severe thunderstorm outbreak; the prior day, similar conditions existed in northern Illinois with the exception of a warmer mid level troposphere.The NSSFC predicted a derecho-type event for later that night as rapidly developing thunderstorms along a cold front in Wisconsin would be carried by the steering flow into the Chicago area.It produced a tornado near Pecatonica, Illinois in Winnebago County, about 15 mi (24 km) west of Rockford, that touched down at about 1:42 p.m. CDT.Within that time period, the storm also struck the Aurora Municipal Airport in Sugar Grove at about 3:05 p.m., lasting until 3:10 p.m., where propeller planes were flipped, and the control tower was evacuated, but no injuries were reported.Past Wheatland Plains, the tornado continued to strengthen as it tore across open farmland, and reached F5 intensity in this area.It was determined that the tornado reached its peak strength in this area, and the F5 rating was based on the extreme ground scouring that occurred.[4] Students who had been out practicing for the fall football programs ran into the high school to take shelter a few minutes before the storm hit.After an alarm was pulled by a dean in the main office, the volleyball players preparing for a game in the gymnasium rushed to the nearest door and took shelter in the hallway.Gravestones in the nearby cemetery were toppled, and a metal dumpster was found wrapped around the top of a partially debarked tree.Homes were damaged on Arden Place, and two high tension wire structures were destroyed at Douglas Street and Palladium Drive West.Whereas previous generations of radar could show only reflectivity data and no direct information on air flows, although tornadic supercells and tornadic signatures such as the hook echo and bounded weak echo region (BWER) were identifiable, NEXRAD contained the ability to detect the wind speed and direction inside the storm.The ability to see rotation inside a storm on both the microscale (tornadic) and mesoscale (supercellular) measurements has allowed forecasters to issue severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in more timely fashion and with a higher probability of detection.[4] The NOAA Disaster Survey Report was highly critical of the forecast process within the Chicago office as well as coordination with local spotter networks and the preparedness of these groups.A dedication ceremony is held at this location where hundreds gather every year, including both survivors and victims' family members.
Fujita scaleOswegoPlainfieldCrest HillJoliettornado outbreaks of 1990tornadoF5/EF51883 Rochester, Minnesota cycloneChicago areasupercellNorthern United StatesOntariodew pointssevere thunderstormtroposphereconvective precipitationatmospherelapse ratesinstabilitycapping inversionlow-pressure systemconvective available potential energylifted indexupdraftstornadogenesisNational Severe Storms Forecast CenterSevere Thunderstorm WatchderechoWisconsinsupercellularRockfordNational Weather ServiceRosemont, Illinoishook echoDeKalb, IllinoisthunderstormJanesvillePecatonica, IllinoisWinnebago CountyAuroraKane CountyAurora Municipal AirportSugar GroveKendall CountyWill CountyWheatland Township, Will CountyLoyola University HospitalPlainfield, IllinoisPlainfield High SchoolPlainfield School DistrictRoute 59Louis Joliet Mallcarbon monoxide1967 Oak Lawn tornadotornado preparednessApril 20, 2004Chicago metropolitan areaDuPage countyNEXRADspotterRomeoville, IllinoisLincoln, IllinoisQuad CitiesSt. Louis, MissouriIndianapolis, IndianaPaducah, KentuckyLists of tornadoes and tornado outbreaksList of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaksList of tornado-related deaths at schools2021 Naperville–Woodridge tornadoJune 2022 Chicago supercellUSA TodayNational Weather Service Chicago, IllinoisCBS2 ChicagoBibcodeWLS-TVFujita, Tetsuya TheodoreYouTubeSkilling, TomWGN-TVF5, EF5, and IF5 tornadoesWoldegk 1764Hainichen 1800Montville 1845Bowen 1876Tri-State 1925Montello 1930Waco 1953Fort Rice 1953Flint 1953Anita 1953Vicksburg 1953Blackwell 1955Udall 1955Hudsonville 1956Ruskin Heights 1957Fargo 1957Sunfield 1957Colfax 1958Prague 1960Wichita Falls 1964Bradshaw 1964Gregory 1965Jackson 1966Topeka 1966Belmond 1966Palluel 1967Wheelersburg 1968Hansell-Charles City 1968Oelwein 1968Tracy 1968Lubbock 1970Waverly 1971San Justo 1973Valley Mills 1973Depauw 1974Xenia 1974Brandenburg 1974Cincinnati-Sayler Park 1974Guin 1974Spiro 1976Brownwood 1976Jordan 1976Birmingham 1977Messer 1982