Lately there are two things we’re hearing a lot about on news and social media.

1. Anniversaries:

The 250^th anniversary of our nation, July 4, 1776

The 100^th anniversary of Historic Route 66

2. Tornados, as our weather patterns get more and more complex and dangerous this time of year.

Today’s post is about both—the 50th anniversary of the great Lemont tornado, June 13, 1976.

Recent weather in the Chicago area has been threatening and there has been some wind damage. Thankfully, nothing to compare with the tornado that struck Lemont fifty years ago today, June 13, 1976.

The 1976 storm was preceded by a weather pattern that is all too familiar, following temperatures with highs in the 90s. It struck Lemont on a hot and muggy Sunday afternoon at 5:18 p.m. on June 13, 1976.

This storm was MASSIVE. It first touched down just north of downtown Lemont, then headed southeast where most of the damage in Lemont occurred. If any tornado can be described as ordinary, the Lemont tornado was no ordinary tornado. It then did something unique: it turned around, heading northwest across the Des Plaines River, where it tore a roof off a building at Argonne National Laboratory before dissipating on the southern edge of Downers Grove.

This tornado was rated at an F-4 force. F-4 today is wind speeds of 166-200 MPH. But in 1976 the F-4 Fujita scale was 206-260 MPH. If the same tornado occurred today, it would be an F-5, over 200 MPH, which is the highest rating.

Seventy-five homes in Lemont were completely destroyed and 390 were damaged, estimated at 13 million dollars. That would be over 75 million in 2026 dollars.

The storm was on the ground for nearly an hour, exceptionally long. It traveled for 8 miles and was up to 800 yards (nearly half a mile!) wide. Two people were killed, and 23 were injured. This is pretty incredible because in 1976 there was very little storm warning, if any at all.

Wait! On the ground for nearly an hour, and only traveling 8 miles? Isn’t that unusual? Yes, and that’s because for a time it was nearly stationary, adding to the damage.

The tornado was unusual in other ways. It was determined by meteorologists who later studied it to actually have produced two clockwise-rotating (anticyclonic) tornadoes. The behavior on the ground was also unusual, following a J-shaped path and completely reversing direction. Noted meteorologist Raymond Waldman described it as one of the oddest tornadoes he’d ever seen, due to its unorthodox route, extremely wide funnel, very slow forward movement, and intensely high rotary speed.

It touched down at the east edge of downtown Lemont near Bethany Lutheran Church, proceeding to the intersection of Archer and McCarthy Roads before it lifted and turned north over Cog Hill Golf Course, then crossed the Des Planes River Valley and touched down again in Rocky Glen Forest Preserve before striking Argonne Laboratory. It then dissipated at the south edge of Downers Grove.

Legendary tornado expert Ted Fujita, who developed the Fujita Tornado Scale and discovered microburst and downbursts, studied Lemont’s tornado in detail and produced a video that can be viewed on YouTube. Here’s the link if you care to watch it: Lemont, Illinois F4 6/13/76 (Fujita Movie) (Only Videos) AI Upscaled to 1080p60

Surely there are some people who experienced this tornado and would like to tell their tale. If there is enough interest, I’d like to present a program about this tornado at the Lemont Historical Society. If you would like to tell me about your experience to be included in that program, I invite you to send an email to me at Pat@Patcamallierebooks.com.

Photos are courtesy of the Lemont Area Historical Society.