60091 Zip Code Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in 60091 Zip Code is about the same as Illinois average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in 60091 Zip Code is lower than Illinois average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #420
| 60091 Zip Code | 0.17 |
| Illinois | 0.24 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| 60091 Zip Code | 0.0000 |
| Illinois | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #1303
| 60091 Zip Code | 181.99 |
| Illinois | 220.15 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 3,999 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of 60091 Zip Code were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 8 | Cold: | 64 | Dense Fog: | 86 | Drought: | 38 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 384 | Hail: | 982 | Heat: | 88 | Heavy Snow: | 69 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 13 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 92 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,736 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 3 | Winter Storm: | 88 | Winter Weather: | 56 |
| Other: | 292 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near 60091 Zip Code.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near 60091 Zip Code.
No historical earthquake events found in or near 60091 Zip Code.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 76 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near 60091 Zip Code.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 5.9 | 1976-03-12 | 2 | 41°56'N / 87°54'W | 42°06'N / 87°42'W | 15.10 Miles | 150 Yards | 2 | 41 | 2.5M | 0 | Cook |
| 7.3 | 1972-08-25 | 2 | 42°02'N / 87°51'W | 1.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Cook | |
| 8.0 | 1970-04-30 | 2 | 42°00'N / 87°54'W | 42°03'N / 87°49'W | 4.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 9 | 25K | 0 | Cook |
| 9.9 | 1959-09-26 | 2 | 41°58'N / 87°58'W | 42°02'N / 87°48'W | 9.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Du Page |
| 10.3 | 1961-03-04 | 2 | 41°54'N / 87°42'W | 41°59'N / 87°35'W | 7.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 115 | 25.0M | 0 | Cook |
| 11.0 | 1965-05-26 | 2 | 41°59'N / 87°55'W | 42°00'N / 87°53'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cook | ||
| 11.0 | 1966-06-09 | 2 | 42°06'N / 87°56'W | 2.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 30 | 0K | 0 | Cook | |
| 14.3 | 1976-03-12 | 2 | 41°55'N / 87°55'W | 41°56'N / 87°54'W | 0 | 25 | 2.5M | 0 | Du Page | ||
| 14.3 | 1975-06-17 | 2 | 42°05'N / 88°00'W | 1.50 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cook | |
| 15.2 | 1966-06-09 | 2 | 42°06'N / 88°01'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cook | |||
| 18.3 | 1972-09-28 | 4 | 42°17'N / 87°52'W | 42°22'N / 87°50'W | 5.20 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 20 | 2.5M | 0 | Lake |
| 19.0 | 1965-05-26 | 2 | 41°54'N / 88°10'W | 41°59'N / 87°55'W | 13.80 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 11 | 250K | 0 | Du Page |
| 23.8 | 1967-04-21 | 4 | 42°12'N / 88°12'W | 42°13'N / 88°06'W | 4.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 1 | 97 | 2.5M | 0 | Lake |
| 24.1 | 1965-04-11 | 2 | 42°23'N / 88°01'W | 42°22'N / 87°55'W | 4.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lake |
| 25.0 | 1973-04-21 | 2 | 41°51'N / 88°06'W | 0.20 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cook | |
| 25.3 | 1997-05-18 | 2 | 42°25'N / 88°03'W | 42°22'N / 87°54'W | 6.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Lake |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down on the southeast side of Lindenhurst and damaged trees and the roofs of several homes. The tornado reached F2 intensity near Sand Lake Road and Route 45 where 2 barns were destroyed, two foot diameter oak trees were broken off or uprooted and the roof was taken off a nursery. Signs were blown down along Sand Lake Road and Stearns School Road. A subdivision on the north side of Gurnee had damage to trees, a chimney blown off a house, windows broken, walls damaged, a garage door blown in and a fence blown down. Three quater inch hail also occurred in Lindenhurst. | |||||||||||
| 25.7 | 1972-07-17 | 2 | 41°52'N / 88°08'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Du Page | |||
| 26.1 | 1967-04-21 | 4 | 41°40'N / 87°50'W | 41°44'N / 87°33'W | 15.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 33 | 500 | 25.0M | 0 | Cook |
| 26.3 | 1976-04-20 | 2 | 42°27'N / 87°50'W | 0.80 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Lake | |
| 26.3 | 1996-04-19 | 2 | 42°27'N / 87°50'W | 42°27'N / 87°50'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 6.6M | 0 | Lake |
| Brief Description: The roof was torn off an apartment building. Over 400 homes and businesses sustained damage and 32 received major damage. Five trucks were overturned at a plant. Homes and garages had roof damage. Numerous trees were damaged or blown down. Injuries included a child with a broken leg and a woman cut by glass. | |||||||||||
| 26.9 | 1958-10-09 | 2 | 42°24'N / 88°12'W | 42°23'N / 87°52'W | 16.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lake |
| 27.1 | 1976-06-13 | 4 | 41°42'N / 87°56'W | 41°44'N / 87°55'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Du Page | ||
| 27.1 | 1967-04-21 | 4 | 42°09'N / 88°16'W | 42°12'N / 88°12'W | 4.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Mchenry |
| 27.2 | 1966-04-19 | 2 | 41°49'N / 88°07'W | 0.50 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Du Page | |
| 27.4 | 1965-11-12 | 2 | 41°48'N / 88°06'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Du Page | |
| 28.3 | 1965-04-11 | 4 | 42°17'N / 88°13'W | 42°17'N / 88°11'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lake | ||
| 28.8 | 1976-03-12 | 3 | 41°43'N / 88°14'W | 41°51'N / 88°00'W | 14.80 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Du Page |
| 29.0 | 1956-08-23 | 2 | 42°02'N / 88°17'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kane | |||
| 29.4 | 1967-04-21 | 2 | 42°00'N / 88°17'W | 0.30 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kane | |
| 29.4 | 1991-03-27 | 3 | 41°40'N / 88°01'W | 41°42'N / 87°51'W | 9.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25.0M | 0 | Cook |
| 30.0 | 1976-06-13 | 4 | 41°40'N / 88°00'W | 41°42'N / 87°56'W | 3.30 Miles | 1760 Yards | 2 | 23 | 2.5M | 0 | Cook |
| 31.6 | 1959-10-08 | 2 | 42°20'N / 88°14'W | 2.00 Miles | 90 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Mchenry | |
| 31.9 | 1965-04-11 | 4 | 42°13'N / 88°23'W | 42°17'N / 88°13'W | 9.10 Miles | 400 Yards | 6 | 75 | 0K | 0 | Mchenry |
| 32.1 | 1971-08-24 | 2 | 41°46'N / 88°11'W | 1.00 Mile | 83 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Du Page | |
| 33.0 | 1962-06-23 | 2 | 41°36'N / 87°43'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 10 | 250K | 0 | Cook | |
| 33.4 | 1963-04-19 | 2 | 42°18'N / 88°18'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mchenry | |||
| 33.9 | 1991-03-27 | 3 | 41°38'N / 88°04'W | 41°40'N / 88°01'W | 2.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Will |
| 33.9 | 1978-08-15 | 2 | 42°11'N / 88°22'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mchenry | |
| 34.0 | 1954-05-27 | 2 | 41°46'N / 88°20'W | 41°51'N / 88°13'W | 7.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kendall |
| 34.3 | 1956-08-23 | 2 | 41°35'N / 87°47'W | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Cook | |||
| 35.5 | 1965-11-12 | 2 | 41°34'N / 87°48'W | 41°34'N / 87°47'W | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Cook | ||
| 37.4 | 1991-03-27 | 3 | 41°35'N / 88°06'W | 41°38'N / 88°04'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Will |
| 38.6 | 1951-11-13 | 2 | 41°36'N / 87°20'W | 0.30 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lake | |
| 38.6 | 1965-11-12 | 3 | 41°33'N / 87°29'W | 41°34'N / 87°24'W | 4.10 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 14 | 250K | 0 | Lake |
| 39.9 | 1965-05-26 | 2 | 41°30'N / 87°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cook | |
| 40.2 | 2008-08-04 | 2 | 41°33'N / 87°25'W | 41°33'N / 87°22'W | 3.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0K | Lake |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down just northeast of the Ridge Road and Cline Avenue intersection. Damage occurred at the Griffith Park Plaza Mall where windows were blown out of a row of stores and a portion of a roof was blown off of a vacant store. The damage path continued to the east, behind the mall. Two parked semi-trailers in the back of the mall were shifted eastward while a third was completely knocked over. The area to the east of this mall in the subdivision along and north of 37th Avenue near Lafayette Avenue and Rensselaer Avenue sustained some of the strongest wind damage from this tornado. Two houses on Lafayette Avenue had their roofs blown off with another house on Rensselaer Avenue also having its roof collapsed and a garage door pushed inward. Other significant damage that occurred was at the Habitat for Humanity storage building at Colfax and Ridge Road. Here, a cinder block storage building completely toppled to the ground. Although the building was knocked over, it appears as though the main cause of it faltering was due to a large tree that fell on top of it. At a nearby gas station within feet of this building, no damage occurred and people actually witnessed the tornado descend on the shelter. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A line of powerful thunderstorms moved across northwest Indiana during the evening hours of August 4th. These storms produced widespread and significant wind damage. | |||||||||||
| 40.5 | 1976-03-12 | 3 | 41°38'N / 88°21'W | 41°43'N / 88°14'W | 7.80 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Kendall |
| 40.8 | 1993-08-15 | 2 | 41°31'N / 87°58'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Will | |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down briefly in a New Lenox subdivision. On house was nearly destroyed. The roof was torn off and there was severe damage to one wall. Another home sustained minor damage and trees were damaged. | |||||||||||
| 40.9 | 1958-08-06 | 2 | 41°44'N / 88°22'W | 2.00 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kane | |
| 41.1 | 2008-06-07 | 2 | 41°28'N / 87°44'W | 41°30'N / 87°40'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 4.0M | 0K | Cook |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado which touched down in northwest Will County, crossed Steger Road into Cook County, just west of Cicero Avenue. The tornado hit a subdivision on the northwest corner of Steger Road and Cicero Avenue. Large tree limbs were blown down and a couple trees were uprooted. Homes were somewhat sheltered by large trees and only sustained minor damage. One home near Cicero Avenue had part of its roof torn off. East of Cicero Avenue, the tornado weakened slightly as it moved through an apartment complex. Only minor damage to roofs, soffits and siding was noted. The tornado hit another subdivision along Imperial Drive. A few homes had garages partially collapsed or destroyed. The tornado then passed through an open area before crossing Governors Highway and the Illinois Central tracks, just south of Sauk Trail. The tornado hit an apartment complex just east of the highway and railroad tracks. One three story building had much of the roof ripped off and part of the third floor exterior walls blown down. Carports were collapsed and other buildings had minor damage. The tornado was rated EF2 in this area. The tornado moved through the intersection of Sauk Trail and Richton Square Road where a grocery store and car wash sustained damage. The tornado then weakened to EF0 intensity as it continued northeast across Central Park Avenue and the northwest part of Central Park. Only minor damage to trees was observed in a subdivision in this area. The tornado crossed the E J and E tracks, then it damaged a roof at an apartment complex near North Street and Orchard Drive. The last signs of tree damage were just southwest of the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Western Avenue. Multiple eyewitnesses reported a dog that was picked up by the tornado and carried a few hundred feet away. The dog, a 125 pound Rottweiler, was apparently unharmed. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A single supercell thunderstorm developed over western Illinois and moved northeast reaching Lake Michigan near the Illinois Indiana state line several hours later. This single thunderstorm produced eight different tornadoes as it moved east across Illinois. | |||||||||||
| 41.6 | 1990-08-28 | 5 | 41°41'N / 88°21'W | 41°38'N / 88°15'W | 5.20 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kendall |
| 41.7 | 1984-04-27 | 3 | 41°35'N / 88°15'W | 41°37'N / 88°11'W | 4.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Will |
| 41.7 | 1980-07-16 | 2 | 42°07'N / 88°32'W | 1.40 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kane | |
| 41.9 | 1990-08-28 | 5 | 41°38'N / 88°15'W | 41°31'N / 88°06'W | 11.20 Miles | 600 Yards | 29 | 350 | 250.0M | 0 | Will |
| 42.2 | 1972-04-06 | 2 | 41°32'N / 88°12'W | 41°34'N / 88°04'W | 6.80 Miles | 50 Yards | 1 | 22 | 250K | 0 | Will |
| 42.3 | 1965-11-12 | 2 | 41°27'N / 88°15'W | 41°34'N / 87°48'W | 24.50 Miles | 120 Yards | 2 | 90 | 25.0M | 0 | Will |
| 42.6 | 1962-07-20 | 2 | 41°32'N / 87°25'W | 41°35'N / 87°08'W | 14.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lake |
| 42.6 | 2008-01-07 | 3 | 42°33'N / 88°18'W | 42°36'N / 88°08'W | 9.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 15 | 13.7M | 0K | Kenosha |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado in western Kenosha County was a continuation of the tornado that spun up 2.27 mils NE of Pell Lake in southeastern Walworth County. It crossed into Kenosha County about 0.4 mile north of where CTH U in Walworth County crosses the county line and becomes CTH F in Walworth County. The tornado continued northeast to just east of the intersection of STH 50 and CTH O, crossed STH 83 just north of 51st Street just north of New Munster Creek, passed through the Village of Wheatland, turned more east and crossed 308th Ave. just north of Peterson Creek, and then dissipated near a pond between CTH PH and 41st Street (Town Rd). Fifteen people in the Civil Town of Wheatland sustained minor injuries. Also in the Civil Town of Wheatland, 7 homes were affected, 25 sustained minor damage, 27 had major damage, and 25 were destroyed. In the Civil Town of Brighton, 10 homes were affected, 3 had minor damage, 3 had major damage, and 4 were destroyed. About 160 people were homeless due to residential damage. This tornado traveled over frozen ponds and creeks, as well as snow piles leftover from recent snowmelt. Average path width was about 100 yards. The wind speed was estimated at 150 to 160 mph (DI 2 - FR12, DOD 8). For a couple homes, the visual damage suggested an EF4 rating, however insufficient anchoring allowed these structures to fail at a lower wind speed. Additionally, other nearby damage indicators didn't support an EF4 rating. The specific starting location in Kenosha County was 42.556342,-88.30533, and the ending location was 42.60061,-88.13524. For plotting purposes, here are a couple mid-point locations of this tornadoe's path: crossing of STH 83 - 42.59297, -88.22230, and the crossing of CTH B - 42.59756, -88.15928. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Very rare, mid-winter, severe storms affected parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on January 7th - in the form of two tornadoes and scattered, large, hailstones, and downburst winds. The last time a tornado occurred in January in Wisconsin was on the 24th in 1967 in Green and Rock Counties (25-mile track). On January 7th, a low pressure moved northeast through western Wisconsin, allowing a warm front to push through southern Wisconsin. Temperatures rose into the lower to mid 60s over southeast Wisconsin with surface dewpoints peaking in the mid to upper 50s, resulting in moderate amounts of instablity. Strong, veering winds from the surface to the jet stream level generated sufficient wind shear that supported rotating updrafts in scattered supercell thunderstorms over southeast Wisconsin. A supercell thunderstorm, that had spun up a tornado in northeastern Illinois previously, then crossed the state line into south-central Walworth County (southeast of the city of Walworth) where it intesified and eventually spun up a tornado near Pell Lake that traveled into western Kenosha County. Another supercell spun up a tornado over the northern reaches of the city of Kensoha. Other scattered thunderstorms on this day across south-central and southeast Wisconsin dumped large hail up to 3/4 inch in diameter. | |||||||||||
| 42.9 | 1966-07-13 | 2 | 41°30'N / 87°25'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lake | |||
| 43.2 | 1972-04-06 | 2 | 41°31'N / 88°11'W | 41°33'N / 88°05'W | 5.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Will |
| 43.4 | 2008-06-07 | 2 | 41°26'N / 87°46'W | 41°28'N / 87°44'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 6 | 5.5M | 0K | Will |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado developed near Ridgeland Avenue and Dralle Road, where a high tension metal truss tower collapsed and four others were damaged. Power lines blocked Interstate 57. The tornado destroyed a mobile home and outbuildings east of Ridgeland between Dralle and Stuenkel Roads before crossing Interstate 57. The tornado was rated EF2 in this area. Six people were injured in vehicles on Interstate 57. Several cars were damaged and a semi trailer was completely destroyed. East of Interstate 57 at Stuenkel Road, a large warehouse had bay doors blown in, much of the roof collapsed, and the west wall blown in. Utility poles were pushed over along South Central Avenue. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A single supercell thunderstorm developed over western Illinois and moved northeast reaching Lake Michigan near the Illinois Indiana state line several hours later. This single thunderstorm produced eight different tornadoes as it moved east across Illinois. | |||||||||||
| 44.1 | 1958-10-09 | 2 | 42°25'N / 88°43'W | 42°24'N / 88°12'W | 26.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mchenry |
| 44.7 | 1967-10-24 | 3 | 41°33'N / 87°13'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Porter | |||
| 45.9 | 1984-04-27 | 3 | 41°33'N / 88°20'W | 41°35'N / 88°15'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Kendall |
| 46.2 | 1977-06-30 | 2 | 41°31'N / 87°16'W | 41°33'N / 87°08'W | 6.80 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Lake |
| 46.3 | 1967-04-21 | 4 | 42°17'N / 88°42'W | 42°21'N / 88°26'W | 14.00 Miles | 1200 Yards | 0 | 40 | 25.0M | 0 | Mchenry |
| 46.5 | 2008-06-07 | 2 | 41°24'N / 87°51'W | 41°25'N / 87°47'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0K | Will |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down along Paulding Road just west of Center Road, south of the Green Garden Country Club. A garage was leveled and a house had part of its roof torn off and damage to the second story exterior walls. At the southwest corner of Bruns and 88th Avenue, barns and trees were damaged. The tornado continued along Bruns Road between 80th and 88th Avenues. On the south side of Bruns Road, a barn and an outbuilding were completely destroyed. The house lost a large section of the southeast wall on the second floor. Another house was heavily damaged with siding and a west wall blown off. North of Bruns Road, there was a barn that was practically destroyed with only a partial wall standing. A horse barn was destroyed with the stables intact and horses still standing in them. In the backyard of the next home, there were trees blown down and debris, such as trailers and a small rowboat were blown into the creek immediately north of Bruns Road. A chain link fence was pulled from the ground. Many trees were uprooted and blown over. Power lines were also blown down. The next house had damage to two garages. The doors were blown out of both garages and the roof of one garage was severely damaged. The house had siding and roof shingles blown off. A house at the east end of this section on Bruns Road, closest to 80th Avenue, had siding blown off and chimney damage. The tornado ended southwest of the intersection of Harlem Avenue and Manhattan-Monee Road, where there was minor tree damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A single supercell thunderstorm developed over western Illinois and moved northeast reaching Lake Michigan near the Illinois Indiana state line several hours later. This single thunderstorm produced eight different tornadoes as it moved east across Illinois. | |||||||||||
| 46.9 | 2009-08-19 | 2 | 41°36'N / 87°04'W | 41°39'N / 87°01'W | 4.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.5M | 0K | Porter |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down in southern Chesterton east of 11th Street and southwest of South Park Drive. The tornado quickly intensified as it moved to the northeast and caused the partial collapse of a gymnasium roof at the Chesterton Junior High School. A wind gust to 105 mph was measured by an anemometer near the school. This damage along with numerous trees that were either uprooted or sheared off was caused by tornado winds reaching 110 mph. The tornado was rated EF1 at this point with a path width of 40 yards. The tornado continued to track to the northeast across the New York Central railroad tracks toward Grant Avenue where the roof of a warehouse had been peeled off and thrown about 15 yards behind the building to the north. The tornado continued to the northeast where an apartment building on Brown Avenue lost its entire roof. This damage was caused by tornado winds reaching 120 mph. The tornado damage was rated EF2 through this area with a path width of 60 yards. In the city of Chesterton, 211 structures sustained damage; 8 were completely destroyed; 54 suffered major damage, such as trees falling through roofs. The remaining 149 structures sustained damage such as missing shingles or damaged gutters. Multiple vehicles were damaged by falling debris from buildings or trees. Numerous power lines were blown down along with utility poles blown down or snapped. This EF2 damage continued northeast where an entire field of healthy old hardwood tree trunks were snapped off or uprooted. The tornado then started to slightly weaken as it approached the Interstate 94 eastbound exit/westbound entrance ramps at Indiana Highway 49. A home south of the interstate had a garage roof blown off with still numerous trees uprooted or sheared off. Tornado wind speeds here were estimated at 100 mph with an EF1 rating. Similar tree damage was noted along a path that continued to go to the northeast across Highway 49 and toward Highway 20 near Hadenfelt Road where some aluminum roofing material of a storage facility had been peeled off. Tornado wind speeds were estimated at 95 mph here and was rated EF1 with a path width of 30 yards. The tornado continued to move through a heavily forested area in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, eventually crossing Highway 12. Radar imagery and an aerial survey suggests that the tornado dissipated north of Highway 12. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across parts of northwest Indiana during the late afternoon and evening hours of August 19th, producing one tornado in Chesterton. | |||||||||||
| 47.5 | 1966-03-21 | 2 | 42°40'N / 88°19'W | 42°41'N / 88°03'W | 13.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Racine |
| 47.8 | 1976-03-12 | 3 | 41°42'N / 86°58'W | 41°41'N / 86°56'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Porter | ||
| 47.8 | 1976-03-12 | 2 | 41°29'N / 87°13'W | 41°32'N / 87°10'W | 3.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Porter |
| 48.3 | 1957-04-19 | 2 | 42°39'N / 88°18'W | 42°39'N / 88°14'W | 2.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Racine |
| 48.9 | 1976-03-12 | 2 | 41°27'N / 87°16'W | 41°29'N / 87°13'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Lake |
| 49.7 | 1958-05-31 | 2 | 41°43'N / 86°53'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | La Porte | |||
| 49.8 | 1957-04-19 | 2 | 42°39'N / 88°20'W | 42°39'N / 88°18'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Walworth | ||
| 50.0 | 1957-07-12 | 2 | 41°23'N / 87°27'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lake | |||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.