In the late morning hours of Sunday, November 17, 2013, a powerful and devastating tornado tracked through central Illinois, inflicting catastrophic damage to the city of Washington and several farmsteads in the rural areas past the city. 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 the deadliest tornado of the outbreak, tied with another intense tornado that went through Brookport, Illinois. The tornado was one of the nine violent tornadoes of the below-average yet destructive year of 2013.
The intense supercell responsible for the tornado first produced at 10:59 a.m. CST east of North Pekin; The tornado crossed I-474, intensifying to EF2 strength. The tornado crossed I-74, strengthening to EF3 intensity; couple of homes suffered severe damage north of the interstate. The tornado fluctuated between EF2 and EF3 strength as the tornado passed near East Peoria. As the tornado entered Washington, the tornado became violent, leveling some homes in a subdivision at the edge of the city. The tornado continued northeast, destroying an apartment complex and leveling an auto parts store before intensifying to a peak intensity of . 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 weakened upon exiting Tazewell County, 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 tornado dissipated 48 minutes after touching down east of Long Point at 11:47 a.m. CST, covering a path length of approximately and reaching a maximum peak width of .
The tornado caused $935 million (2013 USD) in damages ($1.23 billion adjusted for inflation); it caused $800 million in damage in Washington alone. The tornado was also the strongest to occur in November in the state of Illinois since at least 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 (FEMA) declined federal aid to the state of Illinois after the tornado outbreak, leading to outrage from the mayor of Washington and other state officials.
Meteorological setup
Based on computer models, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) began to assess the possibility of a widespread severe weather event for November 17 as early as November 12, though too much uncertainty existed at the time to delineate the probability and scale of the event. As models gained a more accurate consensus, the SPC later anticipated substantial increase in atmospheric instability along the periphery of a potential cold front, indicating the risk of damaging wind gusts and tornadoes. Additional confidence over the next 24 hours resulted in a substantial expanding of this risk area into the lower Great Lakes on November 14, valid for Day 4. The overlap of increasing moisture in the atmosphere, wind shear, and high levels of CAPE were expected to contribute to the possible severe weather. The development of supercells and later squall lines was anticipated and was also expected to impact the Mid-Atlantic states. At around midday on November 15, the SPC issued a slight risk for severe weather for the 16th in regions concentrated primarily around Iowa and Missouri, forecasting the possibility of storms particularly during the evening to overnight hours of November 16. The system associated with those storms was to track eastward and strengthen; as a result, the SPC also issued a Day 3 slight risk earlier on November 15 for a large swath of the Eastern United States in effect for November 17. The slight risk included a 30% chance of severe thunderstorm activity for an area concentrated on Indiana and Ohio.
With the overall upper-level system expected to track eastward across the High Plains on November 17, the SPC issued a slight risk for severe thunderstorm activity for an area surrounding the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, valid for the early morning of the day on November 17. Model data indicated the weakening of the capping inversion coinciding with increasing instability and wind shear, which would lead to the enhanced potential for storms and tornadoes as the night progressed and the low-level jet strengthened. This overnight severe weather largely failed to develop, leading to only a very few isolated reports. However, at 0600 UTC on November 17, the SPC upgraded to a high risk for severe weather for regions of Illinois, Indiana, southwestern Michigan, and western Ohio, in anticipation of conditions becoming increasingly favorable for a significant tornado outbreak; this area of high risk was expanded at 1300 UTC to encompass a roughly circular region of the United States Midwest containing nearly 19 million people. Those same regions were listed as having at least a 30% chance of tornadoes, coupled with a 45% chance for wind. The issuance of a high-risk zone reflected the anticipation of an intense upper-level trough and a strong mid-level jet stream producing highly conducive conditions for the development and prolonging of severe weather.
Washington, Illinois, supercell
This long-tracked supercell produced five tornadoes near Pekin, Washington, Dana, Coal City, Manhattan, and Frankfort, the strongest and longest-tracked being the Washington, Illinois, tornado.
The supercell developed a mesocyclone and maintained it for over . Then, at 10:52 am CDT, the supercell produced a strong but short-lived EF2 tornado over Pekin. The tornado touched down north of State Highway 9, mainly uprooting trees and downing power lines before it crossed the Illinois River. The tornado made it across the river into the residential side of Pekin. It rapidly strengthened to mid-range EF2 intensity; roofs were ripped off of brick homes, and an apartment complex suffered significant roof damage. Afterward, it weakened down, causing EF0-EF1 damage to trees and infrastructures before dissipating. The tornado was on the ground for two minutes and reached a width of ; no one died, but the tornado caused ten injuries and $45 million in property damage. After the dissipation of the Pekin tornado, a few minutes later, the Washington tornado touched down.
After the Washington tornado dissipated, the supercell recycled again and produced another tornado near Coal City at 12:22 pm CDT. The tornado traveled northeast, uprooting several softwood trees at EF0 intensity. It crossed East Reed Road where a home sustained minor roof damage at EF1 strength; a nearby metal building also received some damage to its roof and exterior walls. The tornado crossed Berta Road; along this road, it intensified to an EF2 as a home suffered significant damage. Crossing East Spring Road, the tornado entered a subdivision of homes at mid-range EF2 strength; several homes in this subdivision either sustained partial roof loss or the second story walls of the home collapsed. Along State Route 113, many businesses suffered considerable damage. An RV dealership had numerous vehicles damaged and flipped over; a two-story home had its roof ripped away and portions of the walls collapsed; a model home was shifted off its foundation; and a manufactured home lost its roof. As the tornado moved northeast approaching I-55, it caused widespread tree damage that occurred near the road. The tornado lifted northwest of Symerton at 12:33 pm CDT. The tornado traveled and had estimated peak wind speeds of , reaching a peak width of and inflicting $12.75 million in damages. At least 100 homes and businesses were damaged and four injuries were reported by the tornado.
The supercell produced its final tornado at 12:42 pm CDT southeast of Manhattan. Upon touching down, the tornado rapidly intensified to mid-range EF2 strength. A home on West Burns Road sustained major roof loss, with walls partially collapsing. On South Schoolhouse Road, four high-tension power line towers were bent, and near West Draffle Road, two houses and a barn received heavy damage, with large portions of their roofs sheared away. The tornado weakened to high-end EF1 intensity, impacting a farm and causing significant roof damage. The tornado lifted at 12:48 pm CDT after traveling with a peak width of . The tornado caused $750,000 in damages and no casualties were reported. The tornado had estimated peak winds of . The supercell was eventually absorbed by a squall line and dissipated over Lake Michigan.
Tornado summary Formation in Tazewell County
The supercell produced the tornado at 10:59 a.m. CST, causing minor roof damage to homes paralleling West Muller Road. After crossing the road, the tornado quickly intensified to high-end EF1 strength, uprooting multiple trees and causing the bedroom walls of a home to collapse due to flying debris from a roof, compromising the structure. The tornado then crossed I-474 and moved onto Harris Road, causing light roof damage to homes along the road. The tornado abruptly intensified to high-end EF2 strength, snapping power poles and causing significant roof damage to homes on Marla Street. The tornado slightly weakened to mid-range EF2 intensity, with estimated wind speeds up to , snapping power poles and continuing to cause significant roof damage to homes along Pinecrest Drive. After crossing I-74, the tornado uprooted and snapped many trees. It then intensified to mid-range EF3 intensity with wind speeds up to 150 mph (241 km/h), causing the roof of a house to collapse into itself. The tornado completely leveled a home along Helene Court. One house suffered major damage as the upstairs exterior walls collapsed, along with some of the interior walls. A large debris field were left on the ground as the tornado continued to travel northeast at around .
Soon, the tornado significantly weakened to mid-range EF2 strength, continuing to uproot trees and strip away roofs from homes along Pleasant Hill Road before quickly strengthening to high-end EF2 intensity as a trailer was destroyed. A car was rolled into a home along Veterans Road, and significant roof damage was noted as the tornado continued to snap trees. The tornado suddenly intensified back to mid-range EF3 strength, almost completely leveling a well-built home at . Another home suffered major roof damage and loss of exterior walls, and the garage of a home was completely blown away along Farmdale Road. Intense tree damage was also noted in this area, with a large debris field downstream from the location. The tornado briefly weakened back down to EF2, causing major roof damage, before strengthening back to low-end EF3 as multiple homes along School Road lost their exterior walls, and an electrical transmission tower was completely crumpled by the tornado. Numerous trees in and around Farm Creek were snapped and uprooted. A 51-year-old man was killed in this area. Around the same time, the National Weather Service at Lincoln issued a particularly dangerous situation tornado warning for Tazewell County and Woodford County at 11:06 a.m. CST. Overall, the tornado caused $110 million in damages in East Peoria.