The tornado touched down in nearby Cherry Valley before moving through the City of Murals around 3:40pm as an F4, packing winds estimated at 240mph.Twenty-four people were killed and around 500 were injured because of the storm. Thirteen deaths occurred at Belvidere High School, making it the sixth worst death toll at a school from a tornado.
A memorial has since been built at the high school to honor those killed by the storm. There are 25 rings on the memorial: Twenty-four to represent those who died and one extra ring to honor all those impacted by the tornado.
This event is a big reason why we stress severe weather preparedness. You never know when an event like this could happen again. In instances like the Caledonia tornado, it already has happened again to a degree. If you would like to learn more about the Belvidere Tornado, check out the links below from the National Weather Service in Chicago. -BA
Weather Setup of N. Illinois Tornado Outbreak and Summary of Impacted Cities (Including Belvidere):
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/lot/newsletter/spring2007.pdf
Photos of Damge in Belvidere: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/?n=Belvidere_tornado_67
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