An outbreak of severe weather in central Illinois caused at least six tornadoes to touch down Tuesday evening, and one of those documented twisters was an incredibly rare event, according to officials.
That tornado touched down just outside of Gibson City, located in Ford County. According to officials with the National Weather Service, that tornado was rated an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, packing peak winds of 100 miles per hour.
Ford County officials say that there was reported damage to two different farmsteads, but a damage assessment remains ongoing at this time.
Ford County is one of 23 counties that is included in the National Weather Service’s Chicago coverage area, and according to officials with the service, the confirmed tornado is an exceedingly rare event.
In fact, since 1950, the tornado was only the third to impact northern Illinois in the month of January, officials said.
Even the strength and ferocity of the tornado was uncommon for any time of the year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only 11 tornadoes touched down in Illinois during 2022 that were rated an EF-1 or higher on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with the most recent occurring in Logan County on Aug. 1.
Only one tornado was an EF-2 during the year, touching down in Wabash County and hitting peak winds of 115 miles per hour in May.
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In all, six tornadoes were confirmed by NWS officials, with most of them striking an area located around Springfield. The storms also caused pea-sized hail and spawned a series of watches and warnings as a front moved through the region.
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