Weather Realness

Tornadoes ripped through Illinois and Indiana last week. Here’s how it happened and why

Stephen Nesbitt, Jeff Frame, Reginald Hardwick and Stephanie Orellana
 
Tornado touches down on the outskirts of Pontiac.

Tornado touches down on the outskirts of Pontiac. Andrew Pritchard / IPM News

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Storms produced destructive tornadoes tracking from Illinois to Indiana on March 10. According to the National Weather Service, six tornadoes were confirmed from the severe storms that moved through the region.

The strongest storm tracked more than 100 miles from Pontiac, Illinois, through Kankakee to Knox, Indiana. These tornadoes brought a trail of destruction, killing an elderly couple in Lake Village, Indiana. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences professor Stephen Nesbitt  and Professor in the Department of Climate, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, Jeff Frame talk about how these storms brought the tornadoes and whether we could see more severe weather happening soon.

Funding for Weather Realness is partially provided by the Backlund Charitable Trust.  If you have a question for a local scientist on this program, please leave a voicemail at 217.333.2141 or email weatherrealness@illinois.edu.