Update to the Robinson-Sullivan Tornado from Mar 31, 2023

Update to the Robinson-Sullivan Tornado from March 31, 2023

In November of 2023, a couple of weather enthusiasts alerted our office that there was possible damage that our survey team might have missed last April when we surveyed the Robinson tornado damage. In fact, when our team surveyed the damage, they were unable to get to multiple locations due to flooding and powerlines or trees blocking the roads. The team surveyed what they could get to and gave a rating based on the evidence they saw at the time.

The information the weather enthusiasts provided to us included links to ground pictures, high resolution satellite imagery and fly-over footage. We were even able to obtain drone footage from the Crawford County Emergency Managers office and from two amateur drone operators. Realizing we had missed a lot of the area when we surveyed the damage the first time, our office decided to analyze this new data and reevaluate the rating the tornado was given initially.

We reanalyzed our ground pictures with the new pictures and correlated these images with the satellite images and fly-over videos we now had access to. We relied heavily on the drone footage, which was taken the day after the tornado hit. In addition, we talked to several residents in the Robinson where the worst damage occurred. Through the additional analysis and conversations, we were able to see and determine the  strength of construction and building types. This helped immensely in being able to accurately determine a wind speed and rating for multiple locations.

Therefore, we have determined that the Illinois portion of the Robinson-Sullivan Tornado was correctly rated as an EF-3. However, the wind speed was increased to 165 mph and the width was increased to .66 miles. In addition, the track of the tornado was changed and a new map was created with many additional points. All these updates can be found in the event summary page at: https://www.weather.gov/ilx/TornadoEvent_3-31-23

We would like to thank the Crawford County Emergency Manager, the weather enthusiasts, the drone operators, and the local residents for their assistance and feedback in the reevaluation of the Robinson-Sullivan Tornado. We would also like to express our condolences to those who lost loved ones during this tornado and hope the local residents that lost their homes have made or will make a full recovery.