What Was That Multivortex, Wedge Tornado That Touched Down in Danforth, Illinois Yesterday?

With more tornado warnings happening with regularity, how concerned should those living in Illinois be and how can they stay safe?

Two waterspouts over Lake MichiganWikimedia

Last summer, East Rogers Park was hit by a massive tornado which formed over the lake and came inland right where I live, blowing up our transformer, ripping hundred year old trees from the ground last year, and leaving tens of thousands of us in the dark for about two days. Since then, I’ve been concerned whenever I hear a tornado warning has been issued anywhere even remotely close to my area. I am aware of how they can move quickly from one place to another, as the warning that came in last year was given only 10 minutes before it hit, and I made it home less than 3 minutes before hearing the explosion from our transformer. A neighbor took this video of it while it was still over the lake.

I don’t remember so many tornado warnings in Chicago the last several years as we are having this year, other than last summer. But that may be because the pandemic wasn’t keeping me so tied to home and focused on the news. In the past week there have been close to a dozen different tornados reported, with two hitting the suburbs hard last Sunday, resulting in multiple people being taken to the hospital, and as we learned yesterday, one fatality. Homes were not just damaged; many were leveled to the ground.

Tornado in Danforth Illinois

When a tornado touched down in Danforth, Illinois Friday afternoon and I saw a storm chaser’s video of it as he excitedly described what he was seeing, he used terms for the tornado I wasn’t familiar with.

We currently have several watches in place for the weekend including my county and warnings issued, which indicate that tornados have been spotted, for North central Livingston County, East central La Salle County and Southern Grundy County. Given how many tornado watches and warnings we are getting in Chicago and outlying areas of Illinois, I thought it would be a good idea to learn about the terms the storm chaser used as well as the types of tornados that could impact our area.

The storm chaser on the video documenting the Danforth storm system Friday, first mentioned that the tornado was a “multivortex” tornado. As it developed, he added that it was a “wedge” tornado.

Multivortex Wedge Tornados

According to Storm Prediction Center, the term vortex is used to refer to the actual funnel cloud which is in contact with the ground and a convection cloud. A multivortex tornado has the main funnel cloud with two or more small, intense subvortices which orbit the center of the larger funnel cloud. Subvortices are usually responsible for the narrow, short, extreme areas of destruction. They may also form and die out in a matter of seconds with others forming afterwards.

Wedge is an informal term used when it appears that the tornado is wider than the distance from the ground to the cloud base. These are enormous tornados and many, though not all, are extremely violent. A tornados size does not necessarily predict its strength or destructive potential, but a very large storm is more likely to cause significant damage than a small one.

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Guy Pearson, “With a wedge tornado, you’re talking a half-mile wide or greater, and for anything in the path of a wedge tornado, there is going to be some type of damage.”

When you have a huge, wedge tornado characterized by multivortices that form and don’t die out you can have a major problem on your hands. This is because being a wedge, the tornado is already extremely large, and the multiple vortices further expand the swath of destruction that it leaves behind. For these reasons, even if the tornado is not exceptionally strong, it will likely do far more damage than a single cone shaped tornado without additional vortices.

Other Types of Tornados

There are several different types of tornados and the amount of destruction they do depends on the strength, where they hit and how much of the area has trees, homes and other facilities that can be damaged. Some types are generally stronger than others and do more damage. In addition to wedge tornados and multivortex tornados there are five other types.

Rope Tornados - These are the smallest and most common tornadoes that have a rope-like appearance. Most tornados begin and end as a rope tornado, but develop into other types, while some maintain their rope-like appearance the entire time they are in contact with the ground. Although they may appear weak do to their size, they can do a significant amount of damage.

Cone Tornados – These are the ones most people are familiar with. They have the classic funnel or cone shape and are wider than rope tornados. These are generally more dangerous than rope tornados because their paths are wider.

Stovepipe Tornados – These are similar to cones but the typically bulge out in the center and get narrower again such that the where it meets the base of the storm cloud and where it touches the ground are similar in circumference.

Satellite Tornados - While multivortex tornadoes have smaller vortices rotating around them, sometimes a single storm will produce two tornadoes which spin independently from each other. When this happens, the second tornado that forms is called a "satellite tornado." Because they are generated from the same storm cloud they move in tandem and can be extremely destructive.

Waterspouts and Landspouts – Waterspouts and landspouts may appear to be regular tornados but they can develop when no thunderstorm is in the area. Waterspouts and landspouts are both considered to be a type of tornado but waterspouts don’t go into the record books unless they hit land as the one in Rogers Park last summer did. Landspouts tend to be weak and only last for a few minutes but can do some damage before they die out. Waterspouts that come onto land are also usually relatively weak, but on occasion they may not be, as was seen last summer with the one that pulled giant trees out of the ground, destroyed roofs, damaged homes and blew cars over. What are referred to as "fair-weather waterspouts" frequently develop under clouds formed from lake-effect rain and snow showers in the Great Lakes.

Watch this incredible video of storm chasers recording a tornado which forms into several different types, including rope, cone, stovepipe, and wedge with clear multiple vortices.

Stay Safe Illinois During This Tornado Season

Safety tips for what to do when a tornado warning has been issued in your area.

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