March 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence - Springfield, Illinois Tornadoes

Springfield, Illinois Tornadoes

The longest-lasting series of tornadoes in the outbreak formed at about 7:30 p.m. CST (0130 UTC) near Winchester. The system lasted for several hours and left an unusually long trail of damage according to the National Weather Service.

The tornadic system was reported as a large wedge tornado and was first spotted in southeastern Pike County, Illinois. Some of the communities affected in the first phase include Manchester, Murrayville, Franklin, New Berlin and Curran before approaching Springfield. Damage was reported all along its 70-mile (110 km) path.

The tornado then tracked into the south end of Springfield and dissipated in the city, only to be replaced by a second tornado before exiting the city. The hardest hit areas were in the commercial area around White Oaks Mall and along Veterans Parkway, a major arterial road in southwest Springfield. On other evenings, the area would be heavily crowded, but fortunately there were few people around as it was Sunday evening and most businesses were closed at the time. The hardest hit residential areas were roughly along and about 1/2 mile (800 m) on either side of a diagonal line from the Veterans Parkway / I-72 interchange (Exit 93) to the I-55 / I-72 / Clear Lake Avenue cloverleaf (I-55 Exit 98).

Some of the damage included many trees and power lines down, plus many buildings have suffered damage of unknown degree, such as windows being blown out of many buildings and roofs collapsed in a commercial area, including several retail stores being destroyed. Part of the roof was peeled at the Illinois Department of Transportation building.

The historic buildings of central Springfield, including the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, were spared damage as the tornadoes' track passed through neighborhoods and suburbs on the south side of the city.

WTAX-AM and WDBR-FM were knocked off the air after the tornado toppled the main signal tower. Some localized looting was reported in the damaged area after the tornado hit. It has been described by Mayor Timothy Davlin as the worst damage ever seen in the city. More than 1,000 buildings in the Springfield area were damaged or destroyed incurring an estimated $150 million in damages.

The system continued on well east and north through central Illinois, touching down many times. It then affected communities such as Clear Lake, Dawson (those areas as separate F2 tornadoes), Latham, Maroa, Weldon, Farmer City (all of them had touchdowns by F1 tornadoes) and Paxton (where an F0 tornado touched down) before finally lifting for the final time close to the Indiana state line. A grain elevator was thrown onto I-72 near Dawson. Both Springfield tornadoes were just over 0.5 mile (0.8 km) wide at their maximum and were rated F2.

It did miss Decatur and Champaign-Urbana.

There were at least 24 people reported to have been injured, although no fatalities have been reported. Damage in the Springfield area was estimated to be approximately $150 million.

It was later confirmed that they were multiple tornadoes within the same cell; two affected Springfield, both being F2. This was the worst storm in Springfield since an F4 tornado hit the city on June 15, 1957. The 1957 tornado killed 2 people. All three tornadoes have similar path through town.

• NWS Lincoln office site for the tornado