Power Outage in Enfield, IL

A downburst with peak winds estimated near 90 mph tracked through Enfield from southwest to northeast. Dozens of trees and large limbs were blown down, primarily within the city limits. Some minor roof damage occurred at several houses, an apartment building, and a school. A section of the covering of the school roof, approximately 60 to 100 feet in length, was blown off. Power lines were down. A carport was blown away and wrapped around a tree. A large tarp was torn off a very large grain pile. The most intense tree damage was in the city park, where several large hardwood trees up to four feet in diameter were uprooted. The damage path extended from the western city limit to the eastern city limit, a distance of about 1.2 miles. The width of the microburst averaged 600 yards.

The tornado's strength was EF-0 to EF-1 for most of its path, except near the intersection of Route 14 and U.S. Highway 45. Near this intersection just south of Enfield, a 60-by-105 foot storage barn with wooden truss and steel wall construction was destroyed. Debris from the barn was blown up to 400 yards away. Many of the contents of the barn were lost. Two combines were damaged. A nearby car-and-a-half cinder block garage was destroyed, with concrete blocks thrown over 100 yards. One block was hurled through a window of a pickup truck. A dog pen on the north side of the garage was blown away, and two dogs were missing. A 40-foot tower was bent halfway up. A nearby house and barn sustained minimal damage. Several smaller barns were damaged or destroyed along the path. A greenhouse was destroyed near Centerville. Several trees were down and snapped. Two power lines were blown down across Illinois Route 14 just east of Highway 45. Route 14 was closed for about an hour and a half. Many utility poles were snapped off or leaning along both U.S. 45 and Illinois Route 14, as well as a few other locations along the path. This tornado struck some of the same property that the 1925 Tri-State Tornado devastated. Peak winds were estimated near 120 mph. The average path width was about 50 yards.