1990 — Aug 28, F5 Tornado, Kendall and Will Counties (especially Plainfield), IL — 29
— 29 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1990.
— 29 NCDC. “Plainfield/Crest Hill (Illinois) Tornado of August 28, 1990.” Storm Data, 32/8, 8.
— 29 NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Tornado, F5, 11.2 miles, Will Co., IL, 37:00.
Narrative Information
Grazulis: “IL AUG 28, 1990 1430 29k 350inj 600y 16m F5. KENDALL/WIL — The deadliest and most damaging tornado of the year moved SE from near Oswego to the west part of Joliet, passing through and devastating Plainfield. Losses totaled about $165,000,000. The first four miles produced only Fl and F2 damage. F3 damage occurred in Wheatland Plains where 12 homes were destroyed and 50 were damaged. Plainfield incurred F5 damage with deaths in at least seven different subdivisions. Million of dollars in damage occurred as three schools were destroyed, with deaths at two of them. Millions more occurred at shopping malls, apartment complexes, and other businesses. At the Crest Hill Lakes, eight people were killed as three buildings with 100 apartments were destroyed. Some people were thrown to their death into corn fields from their apartments. Over 300 homes were destroyed and over 800 were damaged. The final damage was on the west side of Joliet where Fl and F2 winds destroyed three homes and damaged 88 others. The tornado struck without warning….” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1990.)
NCDC Storm Data: “The deadliest tornado of 1990 (track length of 16.4 miles) killed 29 people and caused at least 350 injuries as it ravaged parts of Kendall and Will counties in northeastern Illinois on the afternoon of August 28th. This southwestward moving tornado was on the ground from approximately 2:15 p.m. CST to 2:45 p.m. CST. The tornado was most destructive from Plainfield to Crest Hill. The same storm system (which displayed supercell characteristics during much of its life span) also produced large hail and damaging winds from near Rockford, Illinois, to central Indiana; damage in Kendall and Will counties alone was in excess of $160 million.
“The tornado produced F5 damage as it approached the western part of Plainfield. As the tornado travelled through Plainfield and Crest Hill, it destroyed several schools with enrollments totaling over 1,500 pupils. Fortunately, classes had not been scheduled to start until the next day, August 29th. Thus a much higher toll was probably averted.
“No known photographs or videos of the actual tornado exist. The tornado was embedded in heavy rain and hail during most of its lifetime, thus preventing visual warning of the impending event. This strongest U.S. August tornado since at least 1950 had a path width which ranged from 200-yards wide to a half mile wide, yet the core of the tornado was very tight, at times only 20 to 30 feet in diameter.
“This tornado was the worst single killer tornado in the U.S. since May 22, 1987, when 30 people died at Saragosa, Texas….” (NCDC. “Plainfield/Crest Hill (Illinois) Tornado of August 28, 1990.” Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 8, August 1990, p. 8.)
NCDC on Kendall, Will Counties F5 Tornado, Oswego, Plainfield, Joliet, 14:30, Aug 28, 1990: “A large, killer tornado spun a path of destruction across Kendall and Will counties late in the afternoon. This unusual, late August tornado killed 29 people and seriously injured at least 350….It first touched down at Oswego at about 1430 CST and moved southeast, crossing the Kendall-Will County border 6 miles south of their north border, and lifted at about 1450 CST in Joliet. The damage path was 16.4 miles long and ranged from 200 yards to a half-mile wide.
“….As it approached Plainfield it reached maximum intensity F5…six people were killed, 55 homes were destroyed and 205 damaged…At Saint Mary Immaculate, three people died….
“….At Crystal Lawns two people died, 69 homes were destroyed and 324 damaged…At Warwick Estates the tornado was F3 to F2 intensity, killed two people, destroyed 50 homes, and damaged 31 homes…At Crest Hill Lakes it killed eight people, some of whom were thrown into corn fields from their apartments, destroyed three buildings containing 100 apartments and did over $5 million damage. On Cedarwood Drive two people were killed….” (NCDC Storm Data, 32/8, Aug 1990, pp. 59-60.)
Sources
Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993.
National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 8, August 1990. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 168 pages. Accessed 4-30-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/pub-pdf/storm_1990_08.pdf
National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Tornado, Illinois, Will County, F5, 11.2 miles, 8-28-1990, 37:00. Accessed 4-30-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10003586