Roanoke Tornado of 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Roanoke tornado was a powerful tornado that formed outside of Roanoke
, a small town in central Illinois
. On Tuesday, July 13, 2004, at about 2:30 PM, a tornado
with a maximum reported width of a quarter mile (0.4 km) struck west of the village of Roanoke, damaging much of the area and cutting power to the main town of Roanoke for three days. It was later rated as an F4 on the Fujita scale
. The tornado started approximately 1.8 mi (3 km) north of Metamora
, located eight miles (12.8 km) west of Roanoke, and lifted approximately 2.5 mi (4 km) southeast of Roanoke. The tornado moved roughly southeasterly for a distance of 9.6 miles (15.4 kilometers) over about 25 minutes, making it a long-lived tornado.
The worst damage was the destruction of the Parsons Company manufacturing plant, a parts supplier for Caterpillar Inc.
, parts of which was leveled with the entire plant losing its roof and outer walls. Although about 140 people were inside the building when the tornado struck, there were no fatalities and only a few minor injuries. This was attributed to preparations made during the construction of the plant and spotter
training given to some of the workers. Although no tornado sirens were heard at the plant before the tornado struck, an alarm sounded by one of the spotters allowed all the workers to move to storm shelters and ride out the storm.
Damage outside the plant was also extreme. Many of the employees' cars were picked up and tossed into nearby cornfields. Three neighboring farmsteads were completely swept away, with only debris remaining in the basements. This type of damage, in addition to large steal beams from the Parson's plant being blown approximately 3/4 mile (1.2 km) away, resulted in the National Weather Service
's violent category F4 classification.
Two local residents chased
the tornado for much of its 23-minute duration. They produced a half-hour long video that was sold in the Peoria
area to help raise funds for employees of the Parsons plant, most of whom had lost their cars and were either underinsured or not insured.
The storm was an example of how structural planning, storm spotting, and awareness techniques can be used by companies. The plant owner's decision to include storm shelters in the building's design likely saved the lives of many employees. Just as important, the early notice provided by the company storm-spotters allowed employees to reach the shelters before the storm struck. The Parsons plant reopened in April 2005 with seven tornado shelters, five more than the original plant.
The Roanoke tornado was the most significant tornado of a small tornado outbreak
which transitioned into a destructive derecho
over an extensive area of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys extending to the Gulf of Mexico. The Roanoke 2004 Tornado was featured on The Weather Channel
's Storm Stories
and Full Force Nature
.
Roanoke, Illinois
Roanoke is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,994 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-2004 Tornado:...
, a small town in central Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. On Tuesday, July 13, 2004, at about 2:30 PM, a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
with a maximum reported width of a quarter mile (0.4 km) struck west of the village of Roanoke, damaging much of the area and cutting power to the main town of Roanoke for three days. It was later rated as an F4 on the Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
. The tornado started approximately 1.8 mi (3 km) north of Metamora
Metamora, Illinois
Metamora is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,700 at the 2000 census. Metamora is a growing suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, located eight miles (12.8 km) west of Roanoke, and lifted approximately 2.5 mi (4 km) southeast of Roanoke. The tornado moved roughly southeasterly for a distance of 9.6 miles (15.4 kilometers) over about 25 minutes, making it a long-lived tornado.
The worst damage was the destruction of the Parsons Company manufacturing plant, a parts supplier for Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
, parts of which was leveled with the entire plant losing its roof and outer walls. Although about 140 people were inside the building when the tornado struck, there were no fatalities and only a few minor injuries. This was attributed to preparations made during the construction of the plant and spotter
Storm spotter
A storm spotter is a specific type of weather spotter who actively maintains a visual watch of the development and progression of specific weather events while actively relaying important information to the local weather agency in a timely manner.- History :...
training given to some of the workers. Although no tornado sirens were heard at the plant before the tornado struck, an alarm sounded by one of the spotters allowed all the workers to move to storm shelters and ride out the storm.
Damage outside the plant was also extreme. Many of the employees' cars were picked up and tossed into nearby cornfields. Three neighboring farmsteads were completely swept away, with only debris remaining in the basements. This type of damage, in addition to large steal beams from the Parson's plant being blown approximately 3/4 mile (1.2 km) away, resulted in the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
's violent category F4 classification.
Storm chasing
Storm chasing is broadly defined as the pursuit of any severe weather condition, regardless of motive, which can be curiosity, adventure, scientific exploration or for news professions/media coverage....
the tornado for much of its 23-minute duration. They produced a half-hour long video that was sold in the Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
area to help raise funds for employees of the Parsons plant, most of whom had lost their cars and were either underinsured or not insured.
The storm was an example of how structural planning, storm spotting, and awareness techniques can be used by companies. The plant owner's decision to include storm shelters in the building's design likely saved the lives of many employees. Just as important, the early notice provided by the company storm-spotters allowed employees to reach the shelters before the storm struck. The Parsons plant reopened in April 2005 with seven tornado shelters, five more than the original plant.
The Roanoke tornado was the most significant tornado of a small tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
While there is no single agreed upon definition, generally at least 6-10 tornadoes produced by the same synoptic scale weather system is considered a tornado outbreak. The tornadoes usually occur within the same day, or continue into the early morning hours of the succeeding day, and within the...
which transitioned into a destructive derecho
Derecho
A derecho is a widespread and long-lived, violent convectively induced straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms in the form of a squall line usually taking the form of a bow echo...
over an extensive area of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys extending to the Gulf of Mexico. The Roanoke 2004 Tornado was featured on The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
's Storm Stories
Storm Stories
Storm Stories is a non-fiction television series aired on The Weather Channel and Zone Reality hosted and narrated by meteorologist and Storm-Tracker Jim Cantore. Storm Stories showcases various types of severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards. Each episode features a famous...
and Full Force Nature
Full Force Nature
Full Force Nature is a television series that premiered on January 15, 2006 on The Weather Channel. It showcases some of the most unbelievable weather moments caught on tape.-Plot:Full Force Nature focuses on extreme weather and weird weather on tape....
.
See also
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of derecho events
- Tornadoes of 2004Tornadoes of 2004-March 4 – 5:-March 27:-April 14:A powerful tornado struck portions of North-Central Bangladesh, killing 111 and injuring nearly 1,500 others.-April 20 – 24:...
External links
- Roanoke F4 Tornado of July 13, 2004 (NWS Central Illinois)
- Supercell of July 13, 2004 (NWS Chicago)
- Preliminary Review of WSR-88D Radar Signatures seen in the F0 & F1 Central IL Tornadoes during the Record Setting 2003 Tornado Season (James Auten & Ernest Goetsch ~ NWS Central Illinois)
- The July 13, 2004 Tornado Event: Analysis of Tornadogenesis in a Highly Unstable Environment (Ed Shimon, Pat Bak & Kirk Huettl ~ NWS Central Illinois)
- The July 13, 2004 Tornado Event: The Contributions of Evolving Paradigms & Human Factors in the Warning Process (Lyle Barker ~ NWS Central Illinois)
- The July 13, 2004 Roanoke Illinois Tornado Event: The Warning Response Process at the Parsons Plant (Chris Miller ~ NWS Central Illinois)
- {http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3669229307285179970&ei=_ZFvScGaEo3I-gGSnPm0BQ&q=roanoke%2C+il+tornado] Actual footage