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30 Years Later: The August 28th, 1990 Plainfield Tornado
August 27, 2020 at 11:50 PM EDT
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Matt Mehallow
30 years later, the 1990 Plainfield Tornado still ranks as one of the most devastating tornadoes in Illinois history. The violent tornado tore through parts of the Chicago area, producing a path of destruction.
Tornadoes and the Midwest seem to go hand in hand, and this never rang truer on August 28, 1990 when atmospheric conditions were sufficient to spawn a deadly storm and tornado. An upper-level shortwave was driving across the Great Lakes, while a cold front was about to cross through northern Illinois.
Ahead of the cold front, plentiful moisture, high instability, a strong trigger and moderate to high mid- and upper-level wind shear were present for severe thunderstorm development. However, one important ingredient for tornadoes was lacking, strong low-level wind shear. As the afternoon progressed, thunderstorms started erupting and low-level wind shear increased substantially.
This crucial development allowed one supercell to deliver four separate and brief tornadoes in rural southern Kane County. After these initial twisters, the storm was finally able to establish an exceptionally powerful tornado near Oswego in Kendall County. The tornado tracked southeast for four miles, producing F1 & F2 damage, then intensified to an F3 at Wheatland Plains. From there, it approached Plainfield while intensifying into an F5. After exiting Plainfield, it barreled into Crestfield and once it reached west of Joliet, it weakened to an F1 before dissipating.
During its lifespan, the F5 tornado churned a path just over 16 miles in about 30 minutes through parts of Kendall and Will Counties from around 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. CT. Its path was up to a half mile wide in spots and caused an estimated $165 million in damages. 470 homes were destroyed and another 1,000 were damaged. 29 people were killed and 350 more were injured.
In the aftermath, lessons were learned from the deadly tornado as the tornado struck without warning. There were no sirens to announce its approach, which highlighted the importance for improved emergency communication. The National Weather Service in Chicago took criticism for their forecasts as the office issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 3:23 p.m. CT but provided no alert a tornado was on the ground. Furthermore, there was no mention of the area where the tornado had moved and no tornado warning was issued until after the tornado lifted, emphasizing the lack of reporting and need to convey information in a timely manner to the public.
To this day, this tornado remains the strongest tornado to hit the Chicago area and has become the benchmark by which other storms are measured. The Plainfield Tornado will be remembered for its destruction and how it challenged meteorologists and citizens to improve communication and tornado preparedness.
Story Image: The Peerless and Lily cache subdivisions in Plainfield, Ill., just south of Renwick Road destroyed by the August 28, 1990 tornado. (The Daily Herald, 2015).
Tornadoes and the Midwest seem to go hand in hand, and this never rang truer on August 28, 1990 when atmospheric conditions were sufficient to spawn a deadly storm and tornado. An upper-level shortwave was driving across the Great Lakes, while a cold front was about to cross through northern Illinois.
Ahead of the cold front, plentiful moisture, high instability, a strong trigger and moderate to high mid- and upper-level wind shear were present for severe thunderstorm development. However, one important ingredient for tornadoes was lacking, strong low-level wind shear. As the afternoon progressed, thunderstorms started erupting and low-level wind shear increased substantially.
This crucial development allowed one supercell to deliver four separate and brief tornadoes in rural southern Kane County. After these initial twisters, the storm was finally able to establish an exceptionally powerful tornado near Oswego in Kendall County. The tornado tracked southeast for four miles, producing F1 & F2 damage, then intensified to an F3 at Wheatland Plains. From there, it approached Plainfield while intensifying into an F5. After exiting Plainfield, it barreled into Crestfield and once it reached west of Joliet, it weakened to an F1 before dissipating.
During its lifespan, the F5 tornado churned a path just over 16 miles in about 30 minutes through parts of Kendall and Will Counties from around 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. CT. Its path was up to a half mile wide in spots and caused an estimated $165 million in damages. 470 homes were destroyed and another 1,000 were damaged. 29 people were killed and 350 more were injured.
In the aftermath, lessons were learned from the deadly tornado as the tornado struck without warning. There were no sirens to announce its approach, which highlighted the importance for improved emergency communication. The National Weather Service in Chicago took criticism for their forecasts as the office issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 3:23 p.m. CT but provided no alert a tornado was on the ground. Furthermore, there was no mention of the area where the tornado had moved and no tornado warning was issued until after the tornado lifted, emphasizing the lack of reporting and need to convey information in a timely manner to the public.
To this day, this tornado remains the strongest tornado to hit the Chicago area and has become the benchmark by which other storms are measured. The Plainfield Tornado will be remembered for its destruction and how it challenged meteorologists and citizens to improve communication and tornado preparedness.
Story Image: The Peerless and Lily cache subdivisions in Plainfield, Ill., just south of Renwick Road destroyed by the August 28, 1990 tornado. (The Daily Herald, 2015).