2015 Rochelle–Fairdale, Illinois tornado
| EF4 tornado | |
|---|---|
The tornado near peak intensity
|
|
| Formed | April 9, 2015 6:39 p.m. CDT |
| Duration | 41 minutes |
| Dissipated | April 9, 2015 7:20 p.m. CDT |
| Max rating1 | EF4 tornado |
| Highest winds |
|
| Damage | $19 million |
| Casualties | 2 fatalities, 11 injuries |
| Areas affected | Lee, Ogle, DeKalb, Boone, Illinois |
|
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale Part of the tornado outbreak of April 8–9, 2015 |
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1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale
The 2015 Rochelle–Fairdale, Illinois tornado was an extremely violent and long-lived tornado that tore through the communities near Rochelle and in Fairdale, Illinois throughout the evening hours of April 9. Part of a larger severe weather event that impacted the Central United States, the tornado first touched down in Lee County at 6:39 p.m. CDT (22:39 UTC). It progressed through the counties of Ogle, DeKalb, and Boone before finally dissipating at 7:20 p.m. CDT. Along the tornado's 30.14 mi (48.51 km) path, numerous structures were heavily damaged or destroyed, especially in the small town of Fairdale where two fatalities and eleven injuries were recorded. A few well-constructed homes were swept completely away, indicative of peak winds near 200 mph (320 km/h), the upper bounds of an EF4 tornado. A small zoo in Belvidere, Illinois also sustained damage from the tornado that evening.
In the aftermath of the event, hundreds of citizens assisted in cleanup and recovery efforts. Economic losses from the tornado reached $19 million (2015 USD).
On April 4, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued their Day 6 severe weather outlook, highlighting a substantial and widespread risk for severe weather from southeastern Oklahoma to northeastern Illinois valid for April 9. This threat area was maintained in the Day 5 outlook and narrowed to a corridor from southern Missouri into northern Illinois in the Day 4 outlook. On April 7, a Day 3 Enhanced risk was issued across most of Illinois, eastern Missouri, and small portions of adjacent states. No further changes to the threat level were made, although the Enhanced risk was significantly expanded late on April 8 to include portions of the southern Great Lakes, lower Ohio Valley, Ozark Plateau, and Arklatex region. Around midday on April 9, the SPC issued a 10% hatched tornado threat area across much of northern Illinois and small portions of nearby states, signifying the potential for several tornadoes, of which one or two had the potential to be strong (EF2 or stronger on the Enhanced Fujita scale).
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