Fairdale, Illinois, Tornado Receives Preliminary EF4 Rating, National Weather Service Says

The tornado that tore through northern Illinois Thursday night has received a preliminary rating of EF4 based on an initial ground survey of the most heavily damaged area, the National Weather Service reported Friday evening. The EF or Enhanced Fujita Tornado Intentisy Scale measures a tornado’s impact. The scale goes from 0 to 5, with 5 being a storm that causes incredible damage. An EF4 tornado brings with it windspeeds of 166 to 200 mph and causes “devastating” damage. Estimated peak windspeeds of Thursday’s tornado reached 180 to 200 mph. Earlier in the day Friday, local officials said they were confident everyone was out of the area. Kirkland Fire Department Chief Chad Connell said they brought in three K-9 teams as a “precautionary measure,” to “double check our work.

The area struck yesterday still has no power. Local officials said residents could come to assess the damage to their property on an “escorted basis,” but encouraged people not to stay around until conditions were proven safe. Gov. Bruce Rauner earlier in the day Friday declared Ogle and DeKalb counties disaster areas, making state resources available for the areas hardest hit by this storm, which took two lives. Geraldine M. Schultz, 67, and Jacqueline Klosa, 69, next-door neighbors, were both killed, and 11 more people were hospitalized after at least one tornado ripped through northern Illinois Thursday evening at about 7:15 p.m., officials said. Klosa’s body was found during a second search Friday morning, according to the Chicago Tribune. Every home in the community of 200 about 20 miles southeast of Rockford was affected by the storm, authorities said. After crews had a chance to survey the damage in the town, Connell estimated as many as 18 homes were completely swept off their foundations by the large twister.




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