page_title: Tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 1, 2017
section_title: Perryville, Missouri – Christopher, Illinois
hierarchical_section_title: Tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 1, 2017 / Notable tornadoes / Perryville, Missouri – Christopher, Illinois
caption_attribution_description: English: EF4 damage to a home in Perryville, MO. The occupants of this home survived by taking shelter in the basement.
context_page_description: The tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 1, 2017 was a widespread and significant outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather that affected the Midwestern United States at the end of February 2017 and beginning of March. Fueled by the combination of ample instability, strong wind shear, and rich low-level moisture, the event led to 72 confirmed tornadoes and thousands of other non-tornadic severe weather reports. The most notable aspect of the outbreak was a long-tracked EF4 tornado—the first violent tornado of 2017 and the first violent tornado during the month of February since the 2013 Hattiesburg, Mississippi tornado—that tracked from Perryville, Missouri to near Christopher, Illinois, killing one person. Three EF3 tornadoes were recorded during the event, including one that caused two fatalities in Ottawa, Illinois, one that caused a fatality near Crossville, and one that heavily damaged or destroyed homes in and around Washburn. In addition to the deaths, 38 people were injured by tornadoes and an additional 30 were injured by non-tornadic impacts, mainly by fallen trees.
context_section_description: The first EF4 tornado of 2017 began at 01:51 UTC on March 1 (7:51 p.m. CST on February 28) to the west of Perryville in Perry County, Missouri, where it snapped the trunks of several hardwood trees and caused EF1 damage to homes. An outbuilding was destroyed at EF2 intensity near the intersection of Country Road 810 and North Highway. The tornado then continued to the northeast and intensified at an exceptional rate, causing EF4 damage as it impacted a small subdivision of large homes on the west side of Interstate 55. Multiple two-story homes along Kyle Lane were completely leveled. One person was killed in their vehicle as the tornado crossed Interstate 55, and least a dozen cars were mangled and destroyed after being thrown 200–300 yd (180–270 m) from a nearby salvage yard. The tornado then moved across a series of open pastures before crossing U.S. Route 61 and impacting the northwestern outskirts of Perryville at EF4 intensity. A residential subdivision along Moore Drive in this area sustained devastating damage, with many homes completely leveled, a few of which were swept clean from their foundations. Numerous trees in this area were snapped and denuded, and several vehicles were flipped and tossed. One home in this area was anchor-bolted to its foundation with its wall studs toe-nailed at both the top and bottom, and was completely swept away with only the basement left behind. Despite the high-quality construction, the overall context surrounding this home was not indicative of an intensity greater than mid-range EF4, and maximum winds along this segment of the path were estimated to have peaked at 180 mph (290 km/h).
   
  The tornado weakened to high-end EF2 strength as it crossed Country Road 906, destroying a garage and collapsing the exterior walls of a residence. As the tornado continued through sparsely populated areas further to the northeast, it produced a mixture of EF2 and EF3 damage to homes. A few homes along this portion of the path were left with only a single interior room standing, and multiple outbuildings were destroyed. Large hay bales from one of the outbuildings were thrown up to 50 yards away. As the tornado crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois, trees along the riverbank were shredded and debarked. The tornado took on a multiple-vortex structure at this point, as evidenced by multiple distinct ground striations in nearby fields, and also attained its peak width of 0.6 mi (0.97 km). Once in Illinois, the tornado continued at EF2 strength as it passed south of Rockwood, snapping hundreds of trees and a few power poles. A house at the edge of the damage path sustained EF0 roof damage. Past Rockwood, the tornado tore through the Shawnee National Forest, downing thousands of trees at EF1 to EF2 strength as it continued to the northeast. EF1 and EF2 damage continued to the south of Ava, as numerous trees were snapped and uprooted and several outbuildings were completely destroyed. East of Ava, many trees, mobile homes, and frame homes sustained considerable damage, and additional outbuildings were destroyed as damage continued to range from EF1 to EF2 in intensity. The tornado then narrowly missed the town of Vergennes to the south, completely destroying a house at EF3 intensity. Outbuildings and large grain silos were destroyed, and trees and power poles were snapped just south of town as well.
  Continuing northeastward past Vergennes, EF2 damage occurred as a small home was largely destroyed, power poles were snapped, outbuildings were destroyed, an antenna was bent, and a dump truck was flipped over. EF2 damage continued as the tornado clipped the northern fringes of Elkville, with multiple homes and outbuildings severely damaged or destroyed in that area. The Powerade Park baseball field complex was also damaged, and many trees were snapped. EF1 damage to trees was observed further to the northeast as the tornado traversed unpopulated swampy areas. The tornado passed south of Campbell Lake and then moved into Franklin County, where it dramatically re-intensified to high-end EF3 strength as
caption: EF4 damage to a house in Perryville, Missouri. The occupants of this home survived by taking shelter in the basement.
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