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TORNADO*
Fujita
Scale (original)
See New EF Scale ...
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F-Scale
Number
|
Intensity
Phrase
|
Wind
Speed
|
|
F0
|
Gale
tornado
|
40-72
mph
|
|
Some
damage to chimneys;
branches broken off
trees; shallow-rooted
trees pushed over; sign
boards damaged.
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F1
|
Moderate
Damage
|
73-112
mph
|
|
The
lower limit is the
beginning of hurricane
wind speed; peels
surface off roofs;
mobile homes pushed off
foundations or
overturned; moving autos
pushed off the roads;
attached garages maybe
destroyed.
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F2
|
Consider-
able
Damage
|
113-157
mph
|
|
Considerable
damage. Roofs torn off
frame houses; mobile
homes demolished;
boxcars pushed
over;large trees snapped
or uprooted; light
object missiles
generated.
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F3
|
Severe
Damage
|
158-206
mph
|
|
Roof
and some walls torn off
well constructed houses;
trains overturned; most
trees in forest
uprooted.
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F4
|
Devast-
ating
Damage
|
207-260
mph
|
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Well-constructed
houses leveled;
structures with weak
foundations blown off
some distance; cars
thrown and large
missiles generated.
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F5
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Incredible
Damage
|
261-318
mph
|
|
Strong
frame houses lifted off
foundations and carried
considerable distances
to disintegrate;
automobile sized
missiles fly through the
air in excess of 100
meters; trees debarked;
steel re-inforced
concrete structures
badly damaged.
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F6
|
Inconceiv-
able
tornado
|
319-379
mph
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These
winds are very unlikely.
The small area of damage
they might produce would
probably not be
recognizable along with
the mess produced by F4
and F5 wind that would
surround the F6 winds.
Missiles, such as cars
and refrigerators would
do serious secondary
damage that could not be
directly identified as
F6 damage. If this level
is ever achieved,
evidence for it might
only be found in some
manner of ground swirl
pattern, for it may
never be identifiable
through engineering
studies.
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*
Tornadoes are possible in
Arlington Heights, Illinois
during Spring, Summer and Fall.
Tornadoes can spawn with much
less warning than a hurricane.
The path of destruction for a
single tornado is much more
narrow than a hurricane, but wind
speeds are potentially much
greater. Damage can be much more
severe in that narrow path.
Tornadoes can form in or near
hurricanes.
NEARBY TORNADO, MICROBURST AND
WINDSTORM HISTORY
May 18, 2000 -- Severe
Thunderstorms
Severe thunderstorms in the
northwest and north suburbs of
Chicago blew down over 1,000
trees in Highland Park, and
produced a wind gust of 84 mph at
Palwaukee Airport (1542
CDT). Downed trees in
Arlington Heights (1530 CDT)
blocked many streets from
Palatine Road to Northwest
Highway, where the public works
department used end loaders to
clear the streets by pushing
downed trees to the parkway. Some
trees were 80 to 100 years old.
Many downed trees smashed cars
and damaged homes. Much damage
occurred along a line of the
Lake-Cook County line, including
Palatine, Arlington Heights,
Buffalo Grove, Wheeling,
Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland
Park, and Wilmette. A man in
Wilmette was killed when a tree
fell on his car.
August 28, 1990 --
Tornado
A large, killer tornado spun a
path of destruction across
Kendall and Will Counties in
northeast Illinois. This tornado
was on the ground for over 16
miles, touching down first near
Oswego and lifting 20 minutes
later in Joliet. The worst damage
occurred in the towns of
Plainfield and Crest Hill. 29
people were killed by this F5
tornado, and another 350 were
injured. Total damage was
estimated around $165 million.
Before the tornado developed, the
severe thunderstorm produced wind
gusts in the 80-100 mph
range.
June 29, 1990 --
Microburst
A microburst wind estimated
around 150 mph did extensive
damage in the town of Streamwood,
in the Chicago metro area. At
least $10 million damage was done
to 25 stores and industrial
buildings. Radar and eyewitness
accounts indicated no rain or
thunderstorms in the immediate
vicinity of the area at the
time.
August 13, 1987 -- Flash
Flood
Major flash flooding occurred in
the Chicago metropolitan
area. Much of the flooding
was in the western and northern
suburbs. Thunderstorms repeatedly
moved across the area with O'Hare
Airport reported 9.35 inches of
rain in an 18 hour period.
May 31, 1985 -- Dust
Storm
A dust storm occurred across the
northern quarter of
Illinois. Winds during the
storm were 30 to 50 mph, with
some gusts to 70 mph. Visibility
in towns and cities was between 1
and 5 miles, but outlying areas
near farm fields had local
visibility less than 20 feet.
Numerous accidents were caused by
the low visibility, with one
person killed and 22 injured.
Soil erosion losses were
estimated around $3 million.
July 16, 1980 --
Microburst
Millions of dollars in damage was
done by a strong microburst and
blinding rain that hit the south
side of Chicago during the
morning. Winds were estimated to
be as high as 100 mph in the
microburst. Further west, the
same storm system produced a
tornado near the town of
Hampshire, destroying two silos
containing 48,000 pounds of
corn.
March 12, 1976 --
Tornadoes
Three strong tornadoes affected
northeast and east central
Illinois during the afternoon
hours. One moved across
DuPage and Cook Counties, peeling
many long-span roofs back near
O'Hare Airport. Two people
were killed by this
tornado. A second tornado
moved from near Oswego to Villa
Park, destroying several homes in
a subdivision near Oswego.
A third tornado started in
Kankakee County near St. Anne,
moving east into Indiana.
September 28, 1972 --
Tornado
A strong tornado moved across
Lake County, from North Chicago
to Lake Michigan, around
sunrise. $1 million damage
was reported, especially to the
Great Lakes Naval Training
Center, where many barracks were
destroyed.
April 21, 1967 --
Tornadoes
Northern Illinois was struck by
17 tornadoes, including several
in the Chicago metropolitan area.
One violent tornado moved through
Belvidere (east of Rockford),
killing 24 people and injuring
another 450, including 13 deaths
at the Belvidere High
School. School buses at the
high school were overturned with
their roofs ripped off while
school was getting out. Seventeen
victims ranged in age from 6 to
23 years old. Businesses and
homes were demolished. One woman
was pinned in her car with a
broken back. Damage to Belvidere
totaled about $20 million,
including destruction of 400 cars
at the local Chrysler
plant. A marriage
certificate from Belvidere was
later found south of
Milwaukee. A school bus
south of Harvard was ripped in
half, as driver and students hid
in a ditch. A second
violent tornado touched down in
Elgin and moved northeast to Lake
Zurich, causing $10 million
damage. A third violent
tornado touched down near Palos
Hills and moved across through
Oak Lawn and the south side of
Chicago to Lake Michigan.
This tornado struck during Friday
rush hour, and many of the 33
deaths and 500 injuries occurred
in vehicles stopped at traffic
lights. Cars were tossed in
the air. At Suburban Bus Depot
three buses were tossed one atop
the other. Acres of homes and
businesses were leveled. Over $50
million damage was reported from
the tornado outbreak. A game
ticket from a Clark station (gas
station) in Oak Lawn was later
found in Benton Harbor,
Michigan.
June 9, 1966 -- Tornado
Intermittent damage from Hoffman
Estates to the north edge of
Prospect Heights and Palwaukee
Airport were caused by a
tornado. Hangars were
destroyed and planes were flipped
at Palwaukee Airport. About 80
families were left homeless in
Arlington Heights, after a home
and several apartment buildings
lost their roofs. Houses
under construction near Hintz and
Arlington Heights Road were
leveled or left precariously
tilted, but standing. Damage was
estimated at $4 million.
June 23, 1962 --
Tornado
A tornado in Cook County severely
damaged 14 homes in Oak Forest,
with 40 others having minor
damage. Damage was
estimated at $1.1 million along
the half mile long path.
September 14, 1928 --
Tornado
A violent tornado, estimated at
F4 intensity with winds over 200
mph, tore across Rockford.
The tornado first touched down 8
miles south southwest of
Rockford, and moved across the
southeast part of the city.
Four factories were damaged or
destroyed, including the Rockford
Chair and Furniture
Company. Eight workers were
killed there when the 3-story
building collapsed. About a
mile downstream, 3 boys were
killed in a garage. The
tornado was on the ground for 26
miles, dissipating in Boone
County near Capron. A total
of 14 people were killed, with
around 100 injuries reported.
SOURCES:
Belvidere
Community Unit School District
100
has a FEATURE
on their website which chronicles
the 1967 tornado
Oak
Lawn Public
Library
The
1967 Oak Lawn
Tornado
Direct quotes and paraphrased
text from the public domain text
of the following:
NWS
Office Central
Illinois
Trivia
Pages
NWS
Office
Chicago
May
2000
(pdf)
|
HURRICANE*
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane
Scale
|
Category
|
Wind
Speed
|
|
CAT
ONE
|
74-95
mph
64-82 kt
119-153 km/hr
|
|
Storm
surge generally 4-5 ft
above normal. No real
damage to building
structures. Damage
primarily to unanchored
mobile homes, shrubbery,
and trees. Some damage
to poorly constructed
signs. Also, some
coastal road flooding
and minor pier damage.
Hurricane Lili of 2002
made landfall on the
Louisiana coast as a
Category One hurricane.
Hurricane Gaston of 2004
was a Category One
hurricane that made
landfall along the
central South Carolina
coast.
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|
CAT
TWO
|
96-110
mph
83-95 kt
154-177 km/hr
|
|
Storm
surge generally 6-8 feet
above normal. Some
roofing material, door,
and window damage of
buildings. Considerable
damage to shrubbery and
trees with some trees
blown down. Considerable
damage to mobile homes,
poorly constructed
signs, and piers.
Coastal and low-lying
escape routes flood 2-4
hours before arrival of
the hurricane center.
Small craft in
unprotected anchorages
break moorings.
Hurricane Frances of
2004 made landfall over
the southern end of
Hutchinson Island,
Florida as a Category
Two hurricane. Hurricane
Isabel of 2003 made
landfall near Drum Inlet
on the Outer Banks of
North Carolina as a
Category 2
hurricane.
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|
CAT
THREE
|
111-130
mph
96-113 kt
178-209 km/hr
|
|
Storm
surge generally 9-12 ft
above normal. Some
structural damage to
small residences and
utility buildings with a
minor amount of
curtainwall failures.
Damage to shrubbery and
trees with foliage blown
off trees and large
trees blown down. Mobile
homes and poorly
constructed signs are
destroyed. Low-lying
escape routes are cut by
rising water 3-5 hours
before arrival of the
center of the hurricane.
Flooding near the coast
destroys smaller
structures with larger
structures damaged by
battering from floating
debris. Terrain
continuously lower than
5 ft above mean sea
level may be flooded
inland 8 miles (13 km)
or more. Evacuation of
low-lying residences
with several blocks of
the shoreline may be
required. Hurricanes
Jeanne and Ivan of 2004
were Category Three
hurricanes when they
made landfall in Florida
and in Alabama,
respectively.
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CAT
FOUR
|
131-155
mph
114-135 kt
210-249 km/hr
|
|
Storm
surge generally 13-18 ft
above normal. More
extensive curtainwall
failures with some
complete roof structure
failures on small
residences. Shrubs,
trees, and all signs are
blown down. Complete
destruction of mobile
homes. Extensive damage
to doors and windows.
Low-lying escape routes
may be cut by rising
water 3-5 hours before
arrival of the center of
the hurricane. Major
damage to lower floors
of structures near the
shore. Terrain lower
than 10 ft above sea
level may be flooded
requiring massive
evacuation of
residential areas as far
inland as 6 miles (10
km). Hurricane Charley
of 2004 was a Category
Four hurricane made
landfall in Charlotte
County, Florida with
winds of 150 mph.
Hurricane Dennis of 2005
struck the island of
Cuba as a Category Four
hurricane.
|
|
CAT
FIVE
|
>155
mph
>135 kt
>249 km/hr
|
|
Storm
surge generally greater
than 18 ft above normal.
Complete roof failure on
many residences and
industrial buildings.
Some complete building
failures with small
utility buildings blown
over or away. All
shrubs, trees, and signs
blown down. Complete
destruction of mobile
homes. Severe and
extensive window and
door damage. Low-lying
escape routes are cut by
rising water 3-5 hours
before arrival of the
center of the hurricane.
Major damage to lower
floors of all structures
located less than 15 ft
above sea level and
within 500 yards of the
shoreline. Massive
evacuation of
residential areas on low
ground within 5-10 miles
(8-16 km) of the
shoreline may be
required. Only 3
Category Five Hurricanes
have made landfall in
the United States since
records began: The Labor
Day Hurricane of 1935,
Hurricane Camille
(1969), and Hurricane
Andrew in August, 1992.
The 1935 Labor Day
Hurricane struck the
Florida Keys with a
minimum pressure of 892
mb--the lowest pressure
ever observed in the
United States. Hurricane
Camille struck the
Mississippi Gulf Coast
causing a 25-foot storm
surge, which inundated
Pass Christian.
Hurricane Andrew of 1992
made landfall over
southern Miami-Dade
County, Florida causing
26.5 billion dollars in
losses--the costliest
hurricane on record. In
addition, Hurricane
Gilbert of 1988 was a
Category Five hurricane
at peak intensity and is
the strongest Atlantic
tropical cyclone on
record with a minimum
pressure of 888 mb.
SOURCE: National
Hurricane
Center
|
Hurricanes
are not expected in Arlington
Heights, but are common in the
fall and late summer on or near
Florida, the Gulf Coast and the
Eastern Coast of the United
States. Tornadoes can be formed
in hurricanes. Hurricanes form in
the ocean over warm water and
disintegrate over land.
Hurricane
Season generally starts June 1
and ends Nov. 30.
MAJOR
HURRICANES
2005
-- RITA
2005 -- KATRINA
2005 -- EMILY
2005 -- DENNIS
2004 -- JEANNE
2004 -- IVAN
2004 -- FRANCES
2004 -- CHARLEY
2003 -- ISABEL
2001 -- IRIS
2001 -- TS ALLISON
2000 -- KEITH
1999 -- FLOYD
1998 -- MITCH
1995 -- OPAL
1994 -- TS ALBERTO
1992 -- ANDREW
1989 -- HUGO
1988 -- GILBERT
1983 -- ALICIA
1979 -- TS CLAUDETTE
1972 -- AGNES
1969 -- CAMILLE
1960 -- DONNA
1957 -- AUDREY
1955 -- CONNIE AND DIANE
1954 -- HAZEL
1954 -- CAROL AND EDNA
1944 -- GREAT ATLANTIC
1938 -- NEW ENGLAND
1935 -- FL KEYS LABOR DAY
1928 -- SAN FELIPE-OKEECHOBEE
1926 -- MIAMI
1919 -- ATLANTIC-GULF
1900 -- GALVESTON
Details from Hurricane
History
from National Hurricane
Center
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GLOSSARY
|
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Beaufort
Wind Scale
Cloud-to-Ground
Cyclone C
Flash Flood Warning Flash
flooding is actually occurring or
imminent in the warning area. It
can be issued as a result of
torrential rains, a dam failure,
or ice jam.
Flash Flood Watch Flash
flooding is possible in or close
to the watch area. Flash Flood
Watches are generally issued for
flooding that is expected to
occur within 6 hours after heavy
rains have ended.
Flood Warning Flooding
conditions are actually occurring
or are imminent in the warning
area.
Flood Watch High flow or
overflow of water from a river is
possible in the given time
period. It can also apply to
heavy runoff or drainage of water
into low-lying areas. These
watches are generally issued for
flooding that is expected to
occur at least 6 hours after
heavy rains have ended.
Front
Fujita
Funnel Cloud
Hurricane
Hurricane Season generally
starts June 1 and ends Nov.
30.
Hurricane Warning
Hurricane conditions are
expected in the warning area in
24 hours or less
Hurricane Watch Hurricane
conditions (sustained winds
greater than 73 mph) are possible
in the watch area within 36
hours.
Lightning
Mesocyclone
Microburst A sudden,
violent downdraft of air over a
small area (less than 2.5 miles
wide). Microbursts are difficult
to detect and predict with
standard weather instruments and
are especially hazardous to
airplanes during landing or
takeoff. Winds can exceed 100 mph
in a small time period of less
than 15 minutes. The damage
signature of a microburst is
damage from wind spread outward
as in a circle.
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Severe
Thunderstorm Warning A severe
thunderstorm has actually been
observed by spotters or indicated
on radar, and is occurring or
imminent in the warning area.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch
Conditions are conducive to the
development of severe
thunderstorms in and close to the
watch area.
Spotter
Squall
Storm Chaser
Tornado
Tornado Warning A tornado
has actually been sighted by
spotters or indicated on radar
and is occurring or imminent in
the warning area. If the storm is
tracked on radar, there is
usually an expected path that is
indicated complete with arrival
times for each suburb that is in
the path.
Tornado Watch Conditions
are conducive to the development
of tornadoes in and close to the
watch area.
Touchdown
Tropical Storm Watch
Tropical storm conditions with
sustained winds from 39 to 73 mph
are possible in the watch area
within the next 36 hours.
Tropical Storm Warning
Tropical storm conditions are
expected in the warning area
within the next 24 hours.
Typhoon
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