Members of Iroquois County Emergency Management Agency worked with the damage survey team from the US National Weather Service, Chicago office, to identify areas of damage that occurred following the four separate tornado warnings issued in the county on Sunday (12/28).  Four separate rotational tracks were recorded by radar. Within those tracks, a total of four tornadoes have been confirmed within Iroquois County on Sunday.

They can be identified as: an EF-0 tornado, winds at 85 mph in the Clifton area, Northeast of Clifton.  An EF-0 tornado at 80 mph was sited from Clifton to St. Anne. Then East of to the Iroquois-Kankakee border southwest of St. Anne, an EF-1 tornado produced maximun winds at 95 mph. A rotational track near Martinton was classified as an EF-U tornado (unknown intensity due to no known damage).  A fourth rotational track from the Stockland area into Indiana was also identified, but no damage or visual
confirmation of a tornado can be confirmed.

No injuries were reported with any of the weather-related incidents. No residential structures were destroyed, but one home was significantly damaged, and family relocated the resident to a hotel until repairs could begin. At least six outbuildings were identified as significantly damaged or destroyed within the areas of the NWS report.

Sirens were sounded in all the areas listed, but to be overcautious, some communities close to the areas of the identified tracks were siren warned as well.  Just a reminder for the public, there will never be an ‘ALL CLEAR’ siren notification following the storms. This practice was discontinued by the National Weather Service many years ago.

94.1 WGFA      {Courtesy Iroquois County EMA}