| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 18, 1957, 4:35 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00) |
| F5 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | >261 mph (420 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3[1] |
| Injuries | 6[2][3] |
| Damage | $250,000–$500,000 (1957 USD)[2][3] |
Part of the Tornado outbreak sequence of December 18–20, 1957 and tornado outbreaks of 1957 | |
On December 18, 1957, a violent tornado struck Sunfield, Illinois, completely wiping out the community.[3] The extreme damage in Sunfield caused the National Weather Service to assign a rating of F5 on the Fujita scale.[4][2][5][6]
Tornado summary
The east-northeastward moving tornado struck Sunfield at the junction of U.S. Route 51 and Illinois Route 154, also called the Sunfield Y or Wye on account of the branching shape of the intersection.[3][5][1] The United States Weather Bureau documented "very heavy destruction", albeit in a small area, and referred to the Sunfield Y as having been "wiped out".[3] Tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis stated that the “entire community literally vanished.”[7] Several people survived the tornado by taking cover in buildings, including some which were destroyed.[3] A man who remained outside was killed,[3] later found in a drainage ditch by the road.[1] In total, the tornado killed three people,[1] injured six others, and caused between $250,000 to $500,000 (1957 USD) in damage.[3][2][7]
The United States Weather Bureau documented that the tornado reached a maximum width of 200 yards (180 m) and traveled 5 miles (8.0 km).[3] They also documented that the tornado caused between $50,000 to $500,000 (1957 USD) in damage.[3] After the creation of the Fujita scale in 1971, the National Weather Service assigned a rating of F5 to the tornado.[8] In the 2010s, the National Centers for Environmental Information published information about the tornado, which included a path length of 5.4 miles (8.7 km) and a damage total of $250,000 (1957 USD).[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Kopshever, Kathy (December 18, 2012). "The 1957 Tornadoes: Sunfield Hard-Hit 55 Years Ago Today". Benton Evening News. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e National Centers for Environmental Information. "Illinois Event Report: F5 Tornado (Perry County)". Storm Event Database. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j United States Weather Bureau; F. W. Reichelderfer (U.S. Weather Bureau); Sinclair Weeks (Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce) (1958). "Climatological Data National Summary December 1957" (PDF). Climatological Data. 8 (12). United States Department of Commerce: 527. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ Storm Prediction Center. "F5 and EF5 Tornadoes of the United States". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 12 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ a b Hausen, Nick (6 May 2021). "Digging Deeper: December 18, 1957 tornado outbreak". WSIL-TV. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Homes in Sunfield in Perry County Damaged by Thursday Afternoon Storm". The Southern Illinosian. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ a b Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. p. 407. ISBN 978-1-879362-03-1.
- ^ Neal Lott; Sam McCown; Tom Ross; National Climatic Data Center; National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (August 2000). "1998-1999 Tornadoes and a Long-Term U.S. Tornado Climatology". Technical Report 99-02. United States Department of Commerce. pp. 1–24. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
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This page was last edited on 14 April 2024, at 03:23