EF-3 tornado!!

Our tornado that we saw was rated an EF-3 by the national weather service out of lincoln,IL. we saw it before it got to beason,IL and the damage we saw was in elkhart, IL.


A THIRD TORNADO TRAVELED FROM WILLIAMSVILLE...IN NORTHERNSANGAMON COUNTY...TO JUST EAST OF BEASON IN LOGAN COUNTY.THE TORNADO SET DOWN ON THE WEST SIDE OF WILLIAMSVILLE, JUSTEAST OF I-55...NEAR THE WILLIAMSVILLE EXIT...AT 319 PM. THETORNADO DESTROYED AN ANTIQUE MALL...DAMAGED THE CASEYSAND COLLAPSED THE CANOPY OVER THE GAS PUMPS. ONE PERSONWAS INJURED AT THE MALL...WHILE 2 MOTORCYCLE RIDERS WEREINJURED AS THE TORNADO THREW THEM FROM THEIR BIKES. THETORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST INTO WILLIAMSVILLE AND HIT ACHURCH...THROWING A 2-HORSE TRAILER ONTO THE ROOF OF THECHURCH...AND COLLAPSING THE ROOF OVER HALF OF THE BUILDING.ONE PERSON WAS INJURED IN THE CHURCH WHEN THE TORNADO HIT. THETORNADO THEN CONTINUED THROUGH THE NORTHERN PART OF TOWN DOINGMAINLY TREE DAMAGE AND SOME HOUSING DAMAGE. TWO HOMES LOST THEIRROOFS AND SEVERAL OTHER HOMES LOST PORTIONS OF THEIR ROOFS. THETORNADO ALSO CAVED IN THE SOUTHERN END OF A METALBUILDING...PART OF AN AGRICULTURE BUSINESS, ON THE EDGEOF TOWN. THE WIDTH OF THE TORNADO THROUGH TOWN RANGEDFROM 100-150 YARDS WIDE. THE MAXIMUM WIND SPEED WAS135 MPH...DUE TO THE DAMAGE TO THE CHURCH. THE TORNADOWAS RATED AN EF2 AT WILLIAMSVILLE. 4 PEOPLE WERE INJUREDIN WILLIAMSVILLE.THE TORNADO CONTINUED ON THE GROUND...MOVING EAST NORTHEASTOF TOWN FLATTENING CORNFIELDS...DAMAGING FARM OUTBUILDINGSAND MACHINE SHEDS...DAMAGING HOMES...GARAGES...AND VEHICLES ONLESTER ROAD. ONE HOME WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED...AND ANOTHERWITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AS THE TORNADO WIDENED TO 600 YARDS. A 19 MONTH OLD WAS INJURED AS THE FAMILY HOME WAS HIT BYTHE TORNADO. THE WINDS AT THESE LOCATIONS WERE ESTIMATEDTO BE ABOUT 140 MPH...WITH A TORNADO RATING OF EF3. THETORNADO CONTINUED THROUGH FIELDS CAUSING EXTENSIVE CROPDAMAGE UNTIL CROSSING INTO LOGAN COUNTY AT 326PM. THETORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 4.5 MILES IN SANGAMON COUNTY.THE TORNADO CONTINUED INTO LOGAN COUNTY TO THE NORTHEASTAND WIDENED TO CLOSE TO ONE HALF MILE AT SEVERAL PLACES.MULTIPLE HOMES HAD ROOFS AND WALLS GONE...OUTBUILDINGSBLOWN OVER A MILE AWAY...OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED AND GRAINBINS BLOWN AWAY. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO PRODUCE WIDESPREADTREE DAMAGE AND FLATTEN MANY CORN FIELDS. IN SOME PLACES THECORN WAS LAYING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS...INDICATING THESTRENGTH OF THE TORNADO WINDS AS IT MOVED TO THE NORTHEAST.AT SOME PLACES...THE TORNADO DID WEAKEN...WHICH COINCIDESWITH THE ROTATION WEAKENING ON RADAR...BUT REMAINED ON THEGROUND. THE WIND SPEEDS OF THE TORNADO WERE ESTIMATED TO BE140 MPH AFTER IT CROSSED INTO LOGAN COUNTY COMPLETELYDESTROYING ANOTHER HOME...DECREASING TO 110-120 MPH AS ITMOVED TO AREAS BETWEEN LINCOLN AND MOUNT PULASKI. 2 INJURIESOCCURRED IN LOGAN COUNTY...AS TWO MEN WERE THROWN FROM AMAINTENANCE BUILDING AS THE TORNADO HIT. THE TORNADOCONTINUED NORTHEAST BEFORE WEAKENING TO SPEEDS OF 90-100 MPH,WITH A WIDTH OF 50-100 YARDS. THE TORNADO FINALLY DISSIPATEDJUST EAST OF BEASON AT 402PM. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUNDIN LOGAN COUNTY FOR 20 MILES...WITH A MAXIMUM RATING OF EF3,MAINLY WHERE IT FIRST CROSSED INTO THE COUNTY.FROM WILLIAMSVILLE TO BEASON...THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUNDFOR 24.5 MILES...FROM 318-402PM...WITH A MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDOF 140MPH...WITH A TORNADO RATING OF EF3. THERE WERE 7 TOTALINJURIES.