Marion, Illinois, tornado outbreak

The Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak was a small, severe tornado outbreak that affected southern portions of the Midwestern United States on May 29, 1982.

Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak
The F4 Marion tornado crossing Interstate 57 near Illinois Route 13
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationMay 29, 1982
Tornadoes
confirmed		7 confirmed
Max. rating1F4 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2		13 hours, 10 minutes
Fatalities10 deaths, 188 injuries
Damage>$166 million 1997 USD[1]
Areas affectedIllinois, Indiana, Missouri

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

Tornadoes touched down in the states of Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana, with Marion, Illinois, being the hardest hit. Ten fatalities occurred there after the town took a direct hit from an F4 tornado.[2] The outbreak also produced an F3 tornado affecting the Conant, Illinois, area and several weaker tornadoes in the surrounding area.[3]

Meteorological synopsis
Radar loop of the storm that produced the Marion, Illinois, tornado.

On the 12:00 UTC surface chart, a cold front was draped from Minnesota southwest across Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and into Texas. A triple point was found just south of Des Moines, Iowa, with a warm front positioned east across northern Illinois and Indiana. Morning dew points ranged from 65 °F (18 °C) at Saint Louis, Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky, to 72 °F (22 °C) at Memphis, Tennessee. 70 or 71 °F (21 or 22 °C) dew points were found in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Springfield and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. An outflow boundary was draped over Central Illinois and Missouri from overnight convection that was decaying as it tracked east across the two states.[4] This outflow boundary provided the potential for storms to redevelop.[5] By mid-afternoon, temperatures at Carbondale, Illinois, and Marion had risen to the middle and upper 80s°F with dew points near 70 °F (21 °C).[4] At 1:03 p.m., a tornado watch was issued for the region. Later in the afternoon the National Weather Service in Saint Louis, Missouri, issued several severe weather warnings for Williamson County and surrounding counties. At 2:58 p.m. a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Jackson County and Williamson County. At 3:00 p.m, a tornado was observed near Carterville, Illinois, prompting a tornado warning at 3:19 p.m.[6]

Confirmed tornadoes
Satellite photo of the clouds that produced the storm.
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 2 3 0 1 1 0 7
List of confirmed tornadoes – Saturday, May 29, 1982[nb 1]
F# Location County / Parish State Start Coord. Time (CST) Path length Max width Summary
F1 SE of Columbia Boone MO 38.83°N 92.18°W / 38.83; -92.18 (Columbia (May 29, F1)) 03:00 0.06 miles (0.097 km) 20 yards (18 m) A brief tornado destroyed a shed.[7][8]
F1 Caesarscreek Township Greene OH 39.62°N 84.07°W / 39.62; -84.07 (Caesarscreek Township (May 29, F1)) 12:30 0.25 miles (0.40 km) 50 yards (46 m) A small, brief tornado heavily damaged or destroyed several farm buildings.[7][9]
F3 N of Percy to WNW of Conant Randolph, Perry IL 38.03°N 89.67°W / 38.03; -89.67 (Conant (May 29, F3)) 13:05–13:20 10 miles (16 km) 200 yards (180 m) A house and a power station were damaged near Percy. Four homes were destroyed and five were damaged in Conant. Seven people were injured. Damage was estimated at $300,000.[7][10][11][12]
F4 NW of Carterville to E of Marion Williamson IL 37.72°N 89.13°W / 37.72; -89.13 (Marion (May 29, F4)) 14:05–14:32 17 miles (27 km) 400 yards (370 m) 10 deaths – See section on this tornado – 181 people were injured.[7][13][12]
F0 SE of Harrisburg Saline IL 37.70°N 88.48°W / 37.70; -88.48 (Harrisburg (May 29, F0)) 15:26 unknown unknown A "spot touchdown" damaged a barn and several trees.[7][14]
F0 NE of Carrier Mills Saline IL 37.72°N 88.67°W / 37.72; -88.67 (Carrier Mills (May 29, F0)) 15:46 unknown unknown Power lines were downed. No path was observed.[7][15]
F1 Princeton Gibson IN 38.35°N 87.57°W / 38.35; -87.57 (Princeton (May 29, F1)) 16:10 unknown unknown A service station was destroyed.[7][16]
  1. All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.

Marion, Illinois
Marion, Illinois tornado
F4 tornado
Damage to the Marion area.
Max. rating1F4 tornado
Fatalities10 fatalities, 181 injuries
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The Marion tornado touched down near Carteville, at 3:00 p.m. resulting in damage to a subdivision near John A. Logan College. It then tracked into downtown Carterville then tracked southeast into Crainville, Illinois, after which it caused moderate damage to the area surrounding Williamson County Regional Airport.[17] At 3:16 p.m. the tornado either formed a new funnel or changed course as it tracked into the west side of Marion along Illinois Route 13, causing extensive damage throughout the city. During this time the tornado was observed have a multiple-vortex structure with up to three subvortices swirling around the main tornado.[2] The tornado struck a car along Interstate 57, causing it to explode.[2] By 3:30 p.m. the tornado had exited the city and dissipated near Illinois Route 166. The tornado had destroyed the Shawnee Village Apartment Complex and severely damaged three shopping centers. It heavily damaged the area surrounding the Interstate 57 and Illinois Route 13 interchange including the Marion Ford dealership, and also damaged two schools, 648 homes, and 52 businesses.[2] It caused 10 deaths and 181 injuries, and left over 1,000 people homeless.[18][7]

See also

References
  1. "The thirty most damaging tornadoes since 1890". National Severe Storms Laboratory. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  2. "1982 Marion, Illinois Tornado Storm Path". NOAA/NWS. June 27, 2007. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  3. "Timeline on tornado that devastated Marion on May 29, 1982". The Southern. May 29, 2007.
  4. "1982 Marion, Illinois Tornado Weather". NOAA/NWS. June 27, 2007. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  5. "Weather Gloassary for Storm Spotters". NOAA/NWS. March 28, 2006. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  6. "1982 Marion, Illinois Tornado Then / Now". NOAA/NWS. June 27, 2007. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  7. "Storm Data: May 1982 Volume 24 No. 5" (PDF). National Centers for Environmental Information. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  8. Missouri Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  9. Ohio Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  10. Illinois Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  11. Illinois Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  12. Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films. pp. 1241–1242. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
  13. Illinois Event Report: F4 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  14. Illinois Event Report: F0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  15. Illinois Event Report: F0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  16. Indiana Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  17. "Top 5 Most Severe Tornadoes". WPSD-TV. March 11, 2007. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  18. "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
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