Ideas welcome for a new hometown, west/central

[Scio42]

Originally Posted by linicx

According to NOAA tornadoes touched down in the Chatham and Rochester areas. Menard County also had a tornado touch down not far from Petersburg.


National Weather Service, Lincoln IL -- Sangamon County Tornadoes Since 1950

You could say the same about any community in central & southern Illinois. Tornadoes are a fact of life in Illinois. Tornadoes have also touched down in or near Washington, Metamora, Germantown Hills, Eureka and Peoria.

The NOAA statistics are interesting, but not statistically significant enough to predict future tornado paths. 50 years of data based on less than 75 tornado touchdowns in each county is not enough to predict a pattern. For example, a number of the tornado strikes in Sangamon country stem from a decade of bad weather in the 70's. Does this predict a pattern or skew results? Additionally, just comparing the # of tornadoes is also not an accurate predictor. There are numerous other factors involved such as:
1. How big (land area) is the county?
2. What were the intensity of the tornadoes (F0 - F4)?
3. Were the touchdowns prolonged or just a quick touch and go?
4. Who spots and records tornadoes in these counties (e.g. perhaps the larger # of tornadoes recorded in Logan county has something to do with the fact the Nation Weather Service Doppler radar is located in Lincoln?)
5. Are the tornado touchdowns in a consistent pattern?

My advice, move to a place you like with a basement or some other storm shelter & don't worry about tornadoes. Chances are, you may have to take cover as a precaution every few years but you're very unlikely to be directly impacted by a tornado. If you're really concerned about tornadoes, then you shouldn't live in Illinois.

[linicx]

The OP wrote "We would prefer NOT to be in towns that regularly attract severe weather ". . .

On April 2, 2006 two tornadoes - out of seven that touched down in Sangamon County - hit Springfield. The area was declared a federal disaster,

On March 8, 2009 a tornodo struck Springfleld and Sangamon County

National Weather Service, Lincoln IL -- Sangamon County Tornadoes of 4/2/2006
Two EF1 Tornadoes Mar 8, 2009

It is difficult to predict tornadoes or severe weather. There are few areas in Central Illinois that do not seem to be attrat twisters. Towns located on 1-55, 474, Peoria county West on US 150, and the Tazewell County side of 1-74 seem to attract the most severe weather, This is not to say towns on IL 116 and US 24 are not vunerable for any town surrounded by farm fields is vulnerable as miles of open fields is the path of least resistance. And of course there is always the possibility of the daddy of all storms that is accompanied by large hail and damaging winds.

July 19, 2006 was probably the worst storm in more than a 100 years of central Illniois weather history. I came out of Minnesota into Stark and Marshall countyies north of Peoria and covered an area from there to Jacksconville, and was as wide as McLean and Dewitt Counties, striking Cass and other counties I am not familiar with in its path. It was another blow to Sangamon County that was hit by a twister four months earlier.

National Weather Service, Lincoln IL -- Review of July 19, 2006 Severe Weather

[Scio42]

The key word in that phrase from the OP is "regularly".

Two tornadoes touching down in Springfield in 2006 from one storm does not a regular weather pattern make. (The March 8, 2009 tornado touched down SW of Loami, IL not Springfield, the damage to Springfield in that storm was from a straight wind downburst). In fact, a third of the reported tornados in Sangamon county are the result of just two storms, one on Aug 6, 1977 and another on April 2, 2006. Is this a regular weather pattern or just bad luck?

If the criteria for a town having "regular" bad weather is a tornado touching down close by sometime in the last 50 years, then nearly every town in Central Illinois would qualify for having bad weather. The only thing I've seen that resembles a regular pattern are the several tornadoes that have touched down in Northern Mason, Southern Tazewell counties, moved NE towards Pekin, then to Morton and shifted further east towards Roanoake & El Paso. However, is this a regular pattern or just a fluke of the past several years?

The storms that spawn tornadoes are large and the area of Central Illinois is comparatively small. Choosing one central Illinois county over another is not a good bet against bad weather. You'd have to move a much larger distance away for it to be of much effect.

Ever since moving to Peoria 10 years ago, I always found it funny that a number of residents believe Peoria has a good degree of insulation from tornadoes. Considering the number of tornadoes that have touched down just south of Peoria in Northern Fulton county and across the river in Tazewell county as well as the fact that an F3 tornado did rip through Peoria in the past it doesn't make me feel safer than anywhere else in Central Illinois.

Again, until the NOAA or several renowned meterologists are ready to declare certain Illinois cities as bad weather hotspots, then it's really just conjecture. If you live in Central Illinois just be sure your home has sufficient tornado precautions (basement or some other storm shelter). In all likelyhood, you will never need them. But in the rare instance you do, you'll be glad you have them.

[linicx]

I'd say the 2006 storm was quite unusual as it went through Chicago before turning south into Central Illinois - an area of about 300 miles long or longer and about 50 miles wide - more or less. it was still a dangerous storm.

A straightline wind can drive a 10" limb through the side of a house. I lived it.

[NancyMilton]

If you want to come just a little farther south, about 90 minutes south of Springfield, there are plenty of great towns in St. Louis' Illinois suburbs, including Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Troy, etc.

You'd be within less than half an hour of St. Louis which gives you access to some amazing cultural institutions such as a world-class zoo, art museum, science center and the beautiful Missouri Botanical Garden. Not to mention, touring Broadway productions at the Fox Theatre, major concerts, special events throughout the year and one of the most physically beautiful spots in the Midwest -- the Great River Road from Alton to Grafton.

Plus you'd be near Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and I agree with previous posters that college towns really have a lot of character and opportunity.

Let me know if you'd like a link to the school report cards in any of these cities or villages.