1928 Rockford tornado
Damage to the Rockford Chair and Furniture Factory, where several people were buried under debris and killed | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 14, 1928 |
| EF3+ tornado | |
| Highest winds | 150 mph (240 km/h) |
| F4 tornado | |
| Highest winds | >207 mph (333 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 14 |
| Injuries | 100+ |
| Damage | $20 million (2024 USD) |
| Areas affected | Winnebago, Boone and McHenry County, Illinois |
On September 14, 1928, a deadly and destructive tornado moved through the city of Rockford, located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The tornado killed 14 people and injured at least 100 more along a 26-mile (42 km) path that stretched from downtown Rockford to rural McHenry County. Hundreds of structures in Rockford were destroyed, with damages totaling an estimated $20 million (2024 USD).
The tornado first produced damage on Falnud Street, almost immediately becoming intense as it moved to the northeast, where homes were shifted off their foundations and porches suffered damage. As the tornado moved through the downtown and industrial portions of Rockford it killed numerous people, collapsing several factory buildings. One factory building, the Rockford Chair and Furniture Factory, saw the loss of 8 workers with many more injuries. The tornado continued moving to the northeast as it entered central Boone County, damaging rural properties and farms. It retained EF0 and EF1 intensity before lifting near North Boone School Road.
In 1990, tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis rated the tornado as an F4 on the Fujita scale; in 2023, National Weather Service damage surveyors rated the tornado as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.