Easter Week 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence
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| Date of tornado outbreak: | April 13-18, 2006 |
| Duration1: | 4 days, 4 hours, 19 minutes |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | F3 tornado |
| Tornadoes caused: | 54 confirmed |
| Damages: | $23.952 million (2006 USD) $25.61 million (2008 USD) |
| Fatalities: | 1 |
| Areas affected: | Midwest, Mid-Atlantic States |
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1Time from first tornado to last tornado |
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The Easter Week 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence was a tornado outbreak sequence during the days leading up to Easter and continued into the first week after Easter. It was the third major outbreak of April 2006, which had been an unusually busy month for tornado activity.
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[edit] Meteorological synopsis
On April 13, a complex of severe thunderstorms formed in eastern Iowa, bringing many reports of large hail along with unexpected reports of strong tornadoes, some with debris. The worst impacts were felt in and around Iowa City where significant damage and numerous injuries were reported, in addition to at least one death across the region.
Another supercell developed on April 14 across western Indiana, touching down a few tornadoes, although nothing very serious was reported. That system moved eastward over the Mid-Atlantic States on April 15, although no tornadoes were reported there.
While the first system moved eastward, a second system developed over the Upper Midwest and tracked across the Midwest on April 15 and 16. This new system has led to about 40 reported tornadoes, and several have been damaging, although no fatalities were reported from the second system.
That system then tracked into the Mid-Atlantic on April 17, and was mostly a straight-line wind event, although there were a handful of new tornadoes reported across the region.
A third system developed on April 18 and brought even more severe weather, this time farther south in the lower Midwest, mainly Missouri. There were several more tornadoes reported from this one.
The severe weather finally came to an end on April 19 across the South.
The back side of this system produced heavy snow and blizzard conditions over the High Plains.
[edit] Reported tornadoes
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed F0 |
Confirmed F1 |
Confirmed F2 |
Confirmed F3 |
Confirmed F4 |
Confirmed F5 |
| 54 | 30 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
[edit] April 13 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Thursday, April 13, 2006 | ||||||
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| Iowa | ||||||
| F0 | NE of Toledo | Tama | 0010 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | N of Marion | Linn | 0040 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Brief touchdown, one trailer was destroyed and a farm suffered roof damage. Caused $70,000 in damages | |
| F0 | SE of Van Horne | Benton | 0050 | 4.8 miles (7.7 km) | Tornado snapped four power poles and damaged fences. Caused $10,000 in damages | |
| F1 | SW of Anamosa | Jones | 0115 | 3.7 miles (6.0 km) | 1 Injury Half-mile-wide tornado completely destroyed a mobile home. Multiple locations had garages destroyed with extensive damage to roofs and walls of homes. Caused $100,000 in damages | |
| F1 | SSW of Sharon Center | Johnson | 0116 | 3.6 miles (5.8 km) | A continuous damage path was noted with tree damage and some farm outbuildings damaged. Caused $20,000 in damages | |
| F3 | Iowa City area | Johnson | 0129 | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | 30 Injuries Rated as an F3. Tornado made a direct hit on Iowa City. A total of 1,016 residential and 35 commercial buildings were damaged with some destroyed. The University of Iowa was hit with the motor pool headquarters a total loss and 31 vehicles damaged. Three automobile dealerships were damaged; one dealership had 200 vehicles damaged, a second had 60-70 vehicles damaged, and a third had nearly every vehicle sustaining some type of damage. A church's steeple was collapsed and its roof torn off, as well as a popular Dairy Queen being destroyed. In all, the tornado caused at least $15 million in damages but the damage has not been finalized. | |
| F1 | NE of Hills (1st tornado) | Johnson | 0138 | 5.1 miles (8.2 km) | A mobile home was destroyed and a house lost a portion of its roof. Considerable tree damage was noted and several farm outbuildings were damaged or unroofed. Caused $70,000 in damages | |
| F1 | SE of Lone Tree (1st tornado) | Johnson, Muscatine | 0145 | 9.4 miles (15.1 km) | 1 Death 1 Injury One mobile home was destroyed and several other structures were damaged. Caused $125,000 in damages | |
| F1 | E of Lone Tree (2nd tornado) | Johnson, Muscatine | 0148 | 4.8 miles (7.7 km) | A community center was unroofed and a new metal pole barn was destroyed. Caused $82,000 in damages | |
| F0 | WSW of Muscatine | Muscatine, Sac | 0213 | 6.4 miles (10.3 km) | Minor damage reported. Caused $20,000 in damages | |
| F0 | NNE of Hills (2nd tornado) | Johnson | 0219 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Tornado caused roof damage to a house that had been previously damaged by a tornado 40 minutes earlier. Caused $10,000 in damages | |
| F1 | W of Le Claire | Scott | 0242 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | Rare tornado formed on the cold side of a front and was initiated by a downburst. A barn was destroyed. Caused $60,000 in damages. | |
| Illinois | ||||||
| F1 | W of Illinois City | Rock Island, Mercer | 0229 | 13 miles (20.9 km) | Damage confined mainly to trees with a few outbuildings damaged. Caused $20,000 in damages. | |
| F1 | NW of Mannon | Mercer | 0257 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | Tornado destroyed a mobile home. Caused $50,000 in damages. | |
| F2 | WNW of Matherville | Mercer | 0307 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Two homes had roof damage done to them with the sheriff's office indicating one house was completely unroofed. Caused $30,000 in damages. | |
| F1 | WSW of North Henderson | Mercer | 0312 | 0.8 miles (1.3 km) | A parsonage on the west side of town had 75 percent of its roof torn off with the roof blown onto the house next door. Across the north side of town, several sheds were heavily damaged or destroyed with considerable tree damage. One house had its roof completely torn off with varying roof damage to numerous other houses. Several utility poles were snapped in half. Caused $100,000 in damages. | |
| F0 | NNW of Lincoln | Logan | 0525 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | Lincoln area | Logan | 0527 | 3.8 miles (6.1 km) | Tornado touched down near Lincoln Airport. The tornado damaged roofs, siding and outbuildings, and blew down numerous trees and power lines. In addition, before lifting, the tornado damaged several barns in a rural area to the east of Lincoln. Caused $2.5 million in damages | |
[edit] April 14 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Friday, April 14, 2006 | ||||||
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| Illinois | ||||||
| F0 | N of Grand Ridge | La Salle | 2333 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| Indiana | ||||||
| F0 | Ambia area | Benton | 2357 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | NW of Cairo | Tippecanoe | 2358 | 3.2 miles (5.1 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F1 | Americus area | Tippecanoe, Carroll | 0018 | 2.3 miles (3.7 km) | Brief touchdown, damage was confined to farm outbuildings. Caused $60,000 in damages. | |
| F1 | Burney area | Decatur | 0018 | 0.8 miles (1.3 km) | Brief touchdown, tornado destroyed a garage, and damaged several outbuildings. Caused $100,000 in damages. | |
[edit] April 15 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Saturday, April 15, 2006 | ||||||
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| Nebraska | ||||||
| F2 | W of Wymore | Gage, Johnson | 2133 | 34 miles (54.7 km) | Long track tornado destroyed one home, severely damaged two others, and affected 69 others. Caused $5 million in damages. | |
| F1 | S of Nebraska City | Otoe | 2333 | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | Brief touchdown, tornado damaged one home and destroyed a few cars. Caused $70,000 in damages. | |
| Kansas | ||||||
| F0 | E of Onaga | Pottawatomie | 2248 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | NE of Circleville | Jackson, Brown | 2320 | 11 miles (17.7 km) | Tornado damaged a few outbuildings. Caused $70,000 in damages. | |
| F0 | NW of Horton | Brown | 2340 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Brief touchdown, tornado destroyed two outbuildings. Caused $100,000 in damages. | |
| F1 | S of Willis | Brown | 2344 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | Four well built outbuildings were destroyed on a farmstead. Caused $150,000 in damages. | |
| F0 | SSW of Robinson | Brown | 2352 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Tornado damaged one home. Caused $30,000 in damages. | |
| F0 | N of Denton | Doniphan | 0003 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | S of Tonganoxie | Leavenworth | 0105 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | S of Basehor | Leavenworth, Wyandotte | 0120 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | No damage reported | |
| Missouri | ||||||
| F0 | SSE of Stewartsville | DeKalb | 0138 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F2 | E of Stewartsville | DeKalb | 0143 | 13 miles (20.9 km) | Two pole barns were destroyed and one home was damaged. Caused $75,000 in damages. | |
| F0 | Vibbard area | Ray | 0215 | 10.1 miles (16.3 km) | One home had its roof blown off. Caused $10,000 in damages. | |
| Iowa | ||||||
| F0 | SW of Audubon | Audubon | 0143 | 0.2 miles (0.3 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
[edit] April 16 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, April 16, 2006 | ||||||
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| Illinois | ||||||
| F1 | SW of Warrensburg | Macon | 1935 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | E of Taylorville | Christian | 1953 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | SSE of Assumption | Christian | 2005 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | SE of Stonington | Christian | 2007 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | E of Piper City | Ford | 2157 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Brief touchdown, tornado knocked over a tool shed. Caused $10,000 in damages. | |
| F2 | SW of Dieterich | Effingham | 2209 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | Damage confined to trees. No property losses reported. | |
| F1 | S of Humboldt (1st tornado) | Coles | 2215 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | No damage reported. | |
| F2 | SW of Wheeler | Jasper | 2218 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | E of Humboldt (2nd tornado) | Coles | 2225 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | S of Ashkum | Iroquois | 2241 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | SW of Robinson (1st tornado) | Crawford | 2309 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | NW of Martinton | Iroquois | 2320 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F0 | NW of Beaverville | Iroquois | 2356 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
| F1 | Robinson area (2nd tornado) | Crawford | 0006 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
[edit] April 17 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Monday, April 17, 2006 | ||||||
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| North Carolina | ||||||
| F1 | N of Whiteville | Columbus | 2105 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Brief touchdown, on mobile home was damaged. Caused $10,000 in damages. | |
| F0 | SW of Jacksonville | Onslow | 2130 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
[edit] April 18 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Tuesday, April 18, 2006 | ||||||
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| Illinois | ||||||
| F0 | W of Lincoln | Logan | 0419 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | 2 Injuries Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
[edit] Iowa City tornadoes
Several tornadoes touched down in Iowa City in the evening of April 13 between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. CDT (0030-0230 UTC). The tornadoes affected several parts of town and were likely multiple tornadoes. At least 30 people were injured in the city, but no one was killed in Iowa City (one death was reported southeast of the city in a rural area).
Downtown Iowa City was hit the hardest, with several buildings suffering heavy damage, and the courthouse and Saint Patrick's Church - one of the local Roman Catholic parishes - both lost their roofs after the tornado hit. Several people were reportedly trapped in collapsed buildings but were rescued. The church had just finished Holy Thursday services but the parishioners were all safely in the basement of the rectory at the time. Good Friday and subsequent services continued as scheduled in the undamaged areas.
It was a Thursday night, which is normally a busy time for the bars of downtown Iowa City. Fortunately, the tornadoes struck relatively early in the evening, and downtown was not as packed as it might have been had the tornado struck a few hours later. There were a few reports of looting, mainly at establishments where liquor was sold/stored.
The Iowa National Guard was mobilized and local law enforcement was maximized to prevent crime such as looting in the area. Gas leaks were also reported in the downtown area.[1] The University of Iowa was also hard hit by the tornadoes - the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house was nearly destroyed and had to be evacuated, and several other buildings suffered lesser damage. The school was closed the next day as a result.[2]
Another hard hit area was the south side of town, particularly along Riverside Drive (US 6) south of downtown. The commercial area was heavily damaged, with damage reported to several shopping centers and plazas, several big box stores and numerous fast food restaurants - at least one of which, a historic 54-year old Dairy Queen restaurant was destroyed.[3] Many cars parked in the parking lots also sustained damage. In a parking lot downtown, cars were overturned or crushed from where they had been parked. Both Menards and Wal-Mart sustained damage to their roofs as well.
Electricity was cut to about 7,000 customers in the area, but most power was quickly restored after the tornadoes, high winds and hail.[4]
The National Weather Service stated that five tornadoes were present in Johnson county that night. The Iowa City tornado was confirmed to be an F3, which was the tornado that swept through the downtown area. This was the first tornado on record to strike the University. The second tornado was removed from the record, as its damage path was not confirmed by the NWS.
[edit] Impact
UI President David Skorton canceled classes as a result of the tornado. [5] on Friday, April 14. On Friday, area governments declared a joint state of emergency for Johnson County[6] The Daily Iowan (the University newspaper) continued coverage through the weekend, days on which the newspaper does not traditionally print.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- 900+ Photos of the Iowa City April 13th tornado damage (University of Iowa) -Image Gallery, Picture of actual tornado over downtown, etc
- University of Iowa release page - includes news releases, image galleries and statements
- National Weather Service overview
- Photos and videos of tornadoes and damage (Iowa State University}
