When One Illinois Twister Caused Nearly $1 Billion Dollars Damage

The were so many odd things about that day in 2013. First, it was a November tornado which is somewhat rare. Second, it was part of an unprecedented outbreak that caused almost unheard of amounts of damage in Illinois that totaled nearly $1 billion dollars when it finally lifted back into the clouds.

The Springfield News Leader created a fascinating tornado archive showing damage paths of hundreds of Illinois tornadoes. The most expensive of them all when it comes to damage was an EF-4 monster that struck at approximately 10:53am on November 17, 2013.

It began it's damage path 2.4 miles SE of East Peoria just before 11am on November 17, 2013 and proceeded to cut a swath for over 14 miles. By the time its destruction ended, it had killed 3 people and injured 121. 633 homes, 7 businesses, 7 apartment buildings, and 2,500 vehicles were destroyed.

The total property damage cost? $910,000,000

When you factor in the injuries and loss of life, there is no total cost you could allocate to that kind of devastation.

As of this writing, there is no Illinois twister that can equal what the series of tornadoes did on that odd November morning. Homes and businesses were rebuilt, but the families that lost loved ones that day will tell you the financial loss was not the highest cost that day.