Exactly one year after Coal City was struck by a damaging EF-3 tornado, severe storms and a Tornado Watch forced the village to cancel a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the damaging storm.
The village had planned to dedicate a plaque in Campbell Memorial Park Wednesday evening. But because of hazardous weather, including a Tornado Watch in Grundy County where the village is located, the ceremony was canceled Wednesday afternoon.
"The village of Coal City appreciates the well wishes of all those who have recalled what they did one year ago and the responses from all of those who leant their time, effort, and energy to offer support and help our community recover," the Coal City Police Department said in a release.
The tornado that hit Coal City on June 22, 2015, was the strongest the Chicago area had seen in nearly 25 years. The storm was a long-track twister that traveled for more than 16 miles before intensifying to the EF-3 tornado that hit Coal City.
The storm had winds that peaked at about 160 miles per hour, and was the strongest tornado to hit the area since the deadly Plainfield tornado on Aug. 28, 1990. There were no deaths, but village officials said approximately 800 homes were impacted by the storm.
One official called the damage "eerily close" to what the area also experienced in 2013. Cleanup costs associated with the 2015 tornado were approximately $13 million.
