Iroquois County Emergency Management Agency is working with the US National Weather Service’s (NWS) Chicago office to identify potential tornadoes within areas of damage that occurred following the severe line of storms that occurred Friday night (04/17).
Earlier Friday afternoon a damaging line of storms was identified, and the NWS issued a tornado watch for Iroquois County at 3:31 pm that would expire at 11:00 pm. Late Friday evening, a severe squall line- capable of producing both tornadoes and damaging straight line winds, was headed for all areas within Iroquois County and this prompted the NWS to issue a severe thunderstorm warning for the western half of the county at 9:05 pm. As this line continued to move east, there were significant areas of embedded circulation identified, and the NWS issued a tornado warning at 9:15 pm for the western half of the county. This was significantly earlier than the storm was due to pass into the area, but the NWS decided to issue the warning at that time to prepare the residents and to keep them informed. The sirens were sounded by ICOM dispatch in the western half of the county- per EMA protocol, at the time of the warning. This combination was to make sure residents were aware of the approaching dangerous situation. As the line began to pass through the county, the NWS issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the eastern half of the county at 9:46 pm. No tornado warning was issued by the NWS for the eastern half of the county. As the severe winds hit Watseka, EMA Director Anderson gave the order to sound the sirens for the eastern half of the county, including Watseka. Due to the very rapid eastward pace of the line of winds, along with the time it takes the ICOM dispatch center to activate all the sirens on the eastern half, the Watseka sirens sounded just after the severe winds passed through. The sounding of the sirens on the east side of the county were not only for the line of severe wind, but they were for what very easily could have been for an imbedded tornado within the front as it passed through.
Significant damage within the county was reported, and the NWS confirmed that an EF-1 rated tornado was responsible for the destruction in the Buckley area. Members of the Paxton ERS assisted EMA with spotting duties as well as damage assessment in the Buckley area. Heavy damage was also reported in Woodland, with outbuildings, trees and power poles knocked down or destroyed. For the second time in a year, the Knauth farm in Milford suffered significant damage to their cattle buildings and trees, but no animals were harmed. The City of Watseka had a concentrated area of major tree damage, all on the southeast quadrant of the city. The severe line exited the county and continued its path of damage into Kentland, Indiana. Other areas of damage within the county may be reported later, The NWS will continue to receive other data and may update the severity level of the storm track within the next few days.
No injuries were reported with any of the weather-related incidents. No residential structures were reported to have been destroyed. Several outbuildings or grain storage structures were identified as significantly damaged or destroyed within the areas of this report.
Scott Anderson, Director
Iroquois County Emergency Management Agency
