2013 Washington, Illinois, tornado
Clockwise from top: The photo of the Washington, Illinois tornado going through the neighborhood of the city at high-end EF4 intensity with estimated windspeed up to 190 mph, Damage inflicted to the Georgetown Commons Apartment complex, Doppler weather radar imagery of the Washington, IL tornado, showing a debris ball on reflectivity with a deep correlation coefficient, showing a huge amount of debris being lofted high into the atmosphere. Debris strewn around in a heavily damaged neighborhood in Washington. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 17, 2013, 10:59 a.m. CST (UTC−05:00) |
| Dissipated | November 17, 2013, 11:47 a.m. CST (UTC−05:00) |
| Duration | 48 minutes |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Path length | 46.2 miles (74.4 km) |
| Highest winds | 190 mph (310 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Injuries | 125 |
| Damage | $935 million (2013 USD) |
| Areas affected | East 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 hours of Sunday, 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 a.m. CST 2.5 miles (4.0 km) 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 and 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, and rows of houses were leveled and swept away. The tornado maintained a high-end EF4 intensity through Washington. The tornado maintained its intensity after leaving the city, obliterating farmsteads north of Washington. Eventually, the tornado would weaken, fluctuating between EF2 and 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 a.m. CST, covering a path length of approximately 46.2 miles (74.4 km) and reaching a maximum peak width of 0.5 miles (880 yd; 0.80 km).
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. The tornado was also the strongest to occur in November in the state of Illinois since records began in 1950. Following the tornado, the city of Washington and other communities devastated by the tornado outbreak received massive amount of aid from charity organizations. Additionally, a controversy began as Federal Emergency Management Agency declined federal aid to the state of Illinois after the tornado outbreak, leading to outrage from the mayor of Washington and other state officials.