338
ABUS34 KSTL 261613
PNSSTL

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1100 AM CDT FRI OCT 26, 2001

...PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEY OVER SOUTHEAST RANDOLPH COUNTY
ILLINOIS ON WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 24, 2001...

A DETAILED DAMAGE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BY PERSONNEL FROM THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST. LOUIS INVESTIGATING DAMAGE WHICH
OCCURRED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...OCTOBER 24, 2001. IT APPEARS THAT
THE DAMAGE WAS PRODUCED BY A SMALL TORNADO.

SHORTLY AFTER 230 PM CDT, A TORNADO INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN ALONG THE
SOUTHWEST SIDE OF PERCY ILLINOIS. SEVERAL LARGE TREE LIMBS AND TREES
WERE SNAPPED AT THE BASE OR LOWER PART OF THE TREE TRUNK. A NUMBER
OF LARGE TREE LIMBS AND TREES FELL ON FOUR HOUSE TRAILERS AND ONE
HOME ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF PERCY.  ONE HOUSE TRAILER WAS SEVERELY
DAMAGED AS THE TREE FELL THROUGH THE TRAILIER.  THE DAMAGE TRACK
THROUGH THIS AREA WAS APPROXIMATELY 70 YARDS WIDE. THE DAMAGE
INTENSITY WAS RATED AN (F0) ON THE FUJITA SCALE.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO MOVE RAPIDLY EAST-SOUTHEAST AND CAUSED
DAMAGE TO A NUMBER OF LARGE TREES AT THE SOUTHWESTERN LAKES COUNTRY
CLUB GOLF COURSE JUST EAST OF PERCY AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 4. SEVERAL
LARGE TREES HAVING DIAMETERS OF 2 TO 4 FEET WERE SNAPPED BETWEEN 1
TO 10 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. TORNADIC DAMAGE WAS NOT OBSERVED EAST
OF HIGHWAY 4.  THE TREE DAMAGE AT THE GOLF COURSE SHOWED A CLASSIC
CONVERGENT DAMAGE PATTERN WHICH IS VERY TYPICAL
OF A TORNADO. THE TORNADIC DAMAGE TRACK WAS APPROXIMATELY 60 YARDS
WIDE WHILE DAMAGE INTENSITY WAS RATED BETWEEN (F0) AND THE LOW END
OF (F1).  THE TOTAL LENGTH OF THE TORNADO DAMAGE TRACK WAS 2 MILES.

WITNESSES AT THE GOLF COURSE OBSERVED THE TORNADO ALONG THE LEADING
EDGE OF THE STORM COMPLEX. NWS DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A BOW ECHO
PATTERN WITH A STRONG CIRCULATION LOCATED ALONG THE NORTHERN-FORWARD
SIDE OF THE BOW.  SINCE THE BOW ECHO TRAVELED AT APPROXIMATE SPEEDS
OF 60 MPH ACROSS SOUTHERN RANDOLPH COUNTY...THE TORNADO LIKELY HAD
A VERY SHORT LIFESPAN OF TWO OR THREE MINUTES.

RON PRZYBYLINSKI
ERIC LENNING
JOHN CARNEY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST. LOUIS