2015 Rochelle–Fairdale tornado
A frame of the Clem Schultz footage, depicting the tornado approaching Fairdale at low-end EF3 intensity | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 9, 2015, 6:39 p.m. CDT |
| Dissipated | April 9, 2015, 7:20 p.m. CDT |
| Duration | 41 minutes |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 200 mph (320 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Injuries | 22 |
| Damage | $19 million (2015 USD) $25.2 million (2025 USD) |
| Areas affected | Lee, Ogle, DeKalb, Boone Counties, Illinois |
Part of the tornado outbreak of April 8–9, 2015 and tornadoes of 2015 | |
Throughout the evening hours of April 9, 2015, an extremely violent and long-lived multiple-vortex tornado tore through the communities near Rochelle and in Fairdale, Illinois. 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 (23:39 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-mile (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. In the aftermath of the event, hundreds of citizens assisted in cleanup and recovery efforts. Economic losses from the tornado reached $19 million (equivalent to $25,000,000 in 2024).