2013 Washington, Illinois tornado

For the tornado in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., see June 12–13, 2013, derecho series § June 13 derecho.
2013 Washington, Illinois tornado
Clockwise loop: The tornado at high-end EF4 intensity going through Washington; devastating damages done to the Georgetown Commons Apartment complex; doppler radar imagery of the violent tornado north of Washington with a debris ball evident on reflectivity.
Meteorological history
FormedNovember 17, 2013, 10:59 am. CDT (UTC−05:00)
DissipatedNovember 17, 2013, 11:47 am. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Duration48 minutes
EF4 tornado
on the Enhanced Fujita scale
Highest winds190 mph (310 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities3
Injuries125
Damage$935 million (2013 USD)
Areas affectedEast Peoria, Washington, Roanoke, Benson, Minonk, Dana, Long Point, Illinois
Part of the Tornado outbreak of November 17, 2013 and tornadoes of 2013

The 2013 Washington, Illinois tornado was an unusually powerful and violent tornado that caused catastrophic damage to the city of Washington and several farmsteads in rural central Illinois during the early afternoon of November 17, 2013. The tornado resulted in three fatalities and injured 125 people. This tornado was one of the two violent tornadoes in the Tornado outbreak of November 17, 2013 and was the strongest, costliest, and longest-tracked tornado. It was tied for the deadliest tornado of the outbreak, tied with another intense tornado that went through Brookport, Illinois. The tornado was the eighth violent tornado of the below-average yet destructive year of 2013.

The intense supercell responsible for the tornado first produced at 10:59 am CDT 2.5 miles east of North Pekin, it crossed I-474, intensifying to a strong EF2 tornado. The tornado crossed I-74, where it strengthened to an EF3; some homes suffered severe damage north of the interstate, fluctuating between EF2-EF3 strength as it passed near East Peoria. As it entered Washington, the tornado became violent as some homes in the Woodridge Trace subdivision were leveled; the tornado continued northeast, destroying an apartment complex and leveling an auto parts store before intensifying to a peak intensity of 190 mph (310 km/h), numerous well-built homes were demolished, rows of houses were leveled and swept away. The tornado maintained a high-end EF4 intensity through Washington.

After leaving the city, the intensity remained the same, obliterating farmstead north of Washington. Soon, the tornado weakened, fluctuating between EF2 to EF3 strength; some homes either received minor to significant damage as the tornado passed near the towns of Roanoke, Minonk, and Dana. The violent tornado dissipated 48 minutes after touching down east of Long Point at 11:47 am CDT, covering a path length of approximately 46.2 miles (74.35  km) and reaching a maximum peak width of 0.5 miles (880 yd) [1] The tornado caused $935 million (2013 USD) in damages ($1.23 billion adjusted for inflation); it caused $800 million in damage in Washington alone, becoming one of the costliest tornadoes of all time.[2][3] The tornado was the first violent tornado to occur in November for the state of Illinois and the first violent tornado in November since Madisonville F4 in 2005.[4][5] The tornado was also the strongest tornado to occur in November in the state of Illinois since records began in 1950.[6]

  1. ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Washington Tornado (Tazewell/Woodford Counties) of 11/17/2013". www.weather.gov. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  2. ^ Star, Ventura County. "EF4 tornado on Nov. 17, 2013 10:59 AM CST". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 4, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "VIDEO: Top 10 Chicago weather events of the decade". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Erdman, Jon (November 28, 2013). "Midwest Tornado Outbreak Recap: Map of the Trail of Destruction (INTERACTIVE)". The Weather Channel. Retrieved August 3, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Rowlands, Ted (November 18, 2013). "Midwest tornadoes: 'The sky was just rumbling'". CNN. Retrieved August 3, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).