Remembering the May 22nd, 2011 Storms



Radar Loop: NWS Springfield, MO


It was one year ago today that a devastating tornado ripped through Joplin, MO killing over 150 people and injuring more than 1,000.  The EF5 tornado was one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history with winds greater than 200 mph and a path length of over 20 miles long.

It was a hot and humid Sunday afternoon as temperatures rose into the mid and upper 80s with dew points in the low 70s.  An approaching cold front from the west fired off storms stretching from northern Wisconsin all the way south into Texas.  A supercell thunderstorm formed and tracked from extreme southeast Kansas into far southwest Missouri; hitting Joplin.  Several other tornadoes formed that evening from that same supercell, as well as others across Missouri.

Closer to home that same cold front produced scattered thunderstorms across north-central Illinois.  Most of those storms, initally, produced gusty winds, small hail and heavy rainfall.  Once those storms passed, another line formed in Ogle county and began to move northeast.  It was in northern Ogle County that the storm began to 'bow' and gain speed as it moved into Winnebago County.  Along the leading edge of the storm numerous spin-up tornadoes had formed; totaling five all together.

An EF1 tornado developed north of Stillman Valley with a destruction path width of 50-100 yards and traveled half a mile. The second, and the longest tracked of all the tornadoes, formed southeast of Forreston and moved northeast before lifting just south of the town of Winnebago. This too was an EF1 tornado with a path length of 17 miles and a width of 200 yards. This tornado did in fact weaken before redeveloping just east of Winnebago (near the WTVO studio) and moved northeast before dissapating near Machesney Park. Most of the damage was to trees, but it also took off part of the roof at Kennedy Middle School. This makes the total path length of this tornado 27 miles long. Another EF1 tornado formed just southeast of Polo and traveled one and a half miles and had a path width of 200 yards. Through further assessment from the Chicago National Weather Service, it was determined that two additional tornadoes had also developed. The first near Latham and Meridian Rd where trees and limbs were broken. This tornado remained on the ground for 3 miles before lifting near Steward Rd. Finally, a brief tornado touched down north of Roscoe. The damage began at a fire station just west of I-90 and north of Rockton Rd and continued to near I-90. The fire station had damage to it's garage door. Signs and flagpoles, as well as large pine trees, were snapped. The path length was about one mile with a width of 50 to 100 yards. The tornado was rated an EF1.



Despite these storms moving very close to, if not directly over, the WTVO/WQRF studios we stayed with you on-air providing continuous updates as well as live reports from the field.  That's why you can depend on WTVO/WQRF to keep you and your family safe whenever severe weather threatens!