by: John Clark
Posted: Apr 4, 2023 / 10:59 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 4, 2023 / 11:06 PM CDT
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado cut through a portion of Rockford on Friday.
Full details on the wind speed and track of the storm were not immediately available Tuesday night.
“We were able to continue making progress with our damage surveys from the March 31st storms today and have [determined] an EF-1 tornado was confirmed in Rockford,” the NWS said.
Utility crews and residents worked throughout the weekend to restore power and remove many fallen trees along the path of the tornado, which stretched from southwest to northeast Rockford.
The NWS also confirmed that an EF-1 tornado went through Caledonia to Delevan Lake, Wisconsin, producing winds of 95 mph over a 25-mile path.
An EF-1 tornado is rated on the Enhanced Fujita scale to have had 3-second wind gusts between 86 and 110 miles per hour.
The NWS has confirmed multiple tornadoes hit northern Illinois on Friday, including EF-1 tornadoes in Machesney Park and Davis Junction-Belvidere, and an EF-2 in Amboy.
For comparison, the tornado that struck Fairdale in 2015 was rated as an EF-4 tornado, with wind gusts measuring between 166 and 200 miles per hour.
The National Weather Service sends survey crews to affected areas to measure the impact of a storm.
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