Tornado outbreak of April 8–9, 2015

Tornado outbreak of April 8–9, 2015
High-end EF4 damage to a farmstead in Rochelle, Illinois
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationApril 8, 2015 (2015-04-08) – April 9, 2015 (2015-04-09)
Highest winds
  • Tornadic - 200 mph (320 km/h) near Rochelle, Illinois on April 9
    Straight-line - 82 mph (132 km/h) at multiple locations.
Tornadoes
confirmed
27
Max. rating1EF4 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2
about 36 hours
Largest hail4.00 in (10.2 cm) in Sullivan, Missouri on April 8
Fatalities2 fatalities, 11 injuries
Damage$20.93 million (2015 USD)
Areas affectedHigh Plains, parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley

1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

A relatively small but damaging outbreak of tornadoes occurred in parts of the Great Plains and the Midwestern United States between April 8-9, 2015. There were 27 confirmed tornadoes during the two days, most of them weak; however, a few of them were powerful and damaging.

By far the most significant tornado of the outbreak was a very high-end EF4 wedge tornado that struck the towns of Rochelle and Fairdale, Illinois, causing catastrophic damage. It was also the strongest tornado recorded in 2015, as well as the strongest to occur in Illinois since the F5 tornado that struck Plainfield in 1990.