Cold Front Dropping South Across the Western U.S.; Watching Threat for Tornadoes and Flooding in the South

A cold front will push south across the Western U.S. into Tuesday with mountain snow and areas of gusty to high winds. An area of low pressure will form along this front on Tuesday and bring a potential for severe thunderstorms with tornadoes and excessive rainfall in the lower to mid Mississippi River Valley. To the north, heavy snow is possible in parts of the upper Midwest. Read More >

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Overview

During the evening hours of March 28, 2020, an EF-1 tornado touched down in rural Ogle County near the town of Oregon and lifted near Stillman Valley. The tornado was on the ground for roughly 7 miles with a maximum width of ~1/4 of a mile, damaging mainly trees, power lines, outbuildings, and barns. A tornado warning was issued ~20 minutes before the tornado touched down.

The storm system that produced the tornado in Ogle County also produced tornadoes across Iowa and west-central Illinois. Check out the following pages from neighboring NWS offices:

NWS Lincoln

NWS Davenport

NWS Des Moines

Apparent picture of the tornado seen from the Byron area

(taken by Jennifer Rocen Beltran, shared by Candice King (WTVO) on Twitter)

Tornadoes
Photos & Video
Radar
Additional Info

Tornado Summary:

Oregon / Stillman Valley
Ogle County

Date	March 28, 2020
Time (Local)	9:13 PM CDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 MPH
Path Length	7.0 Miles
Max Width	400 Yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The tornado began near Oregon and tracked 7 miles across mainly rural portions of central Ogle county before dissipating just prior to reaching Stillman Valley. The majority of the damage along the path was to trees and power lines, though there was some structural damage primarily to outbuildings and barns.

Track Map

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Photos & Video:


Farming structure destroyed	Roof peeled off of a building	Uprooted tree

Thanks to Dr. Victor Gensini, professor at Northern Illinois University, for his help during the damage survey of the tornado!

Apparent picture of the tornado taken by Jennifer Rocen Beltran, shared by Candice King (WTVO) on Twitter.

Radar:

The thunderstorm that produced the tornado was a supercell, or a storm with a rotating updraft. Supercells are responsible for the majority of strong tornadoes across the United States, and often produce multiple tornadoes along their lifespan. In the case of March 28th, the supercell that produced the tornado near Oregon also produced two brief tornadoes earlier in west-central Illinois.

(Clockwise from top right, 0.5 degree base reflectivity, storm-relative velocity, correlation coefficient, and spectrum width)

Four Panel Loop

Additional Info

Northwest Illinois (NWS Quad Cities)
Central Illinois (NWS Central Illinois)
Southern Wisconsin (NWS Milwaukee)
Northern Indiana (NWS Northern Indiana)
Central Indiana (NWS Indianapolis)
NWS Chicago Past Events Page

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Cold Front Dropping South Across the Western U.S.; Watching Threat for Tornadoes and Flooding in the South

March 28, 2020 Ogle County EF-1 Tornado