Remembering 5/14/1961 IL TOR outbreak (Mother's Day)

[Tim from Springfield (IL)]

Unless you are in the GBG/PIA/SPI areas, this "minor" outbreak might not be well-remembered but today's Picturing the Past feature in my local Springfield, IL paper (State Journal-Register) included the paper's photos of coverage of one of the tornadoes on Mother's Day 1961 evening (5/14/61) in Western and Central Illinois.  According to the Tornado HIstory Project only 11 tornadoes were reported nationwide that Sunday night but one of them was an F1 in New Berlin, IL (between SPI and Jacksonville) around 10:30 that evening.  Some classic SJR photos of the devastation in New Berlin that night:

http://visuals.sj-r.com/picturing-the-past/2018/5/11/tornado-strikes-new-berlin

However, that outbreak included a nearly 200-mile long-tracked F3 from near Hannibal, MO to north of Peoria (in Stark County, IL).  This storm produced 8 injuries, particularly in tiny Knox County community of Douglas:

http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19610514.17.12

 

http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1961/5/14/map

[Tim from Springfield (IL)]

Interestingly, some of the same areas hit on Mother's Day 5/14/61 are the same areas under the gun for severe weather (Slight Risk) for Mothers Day 2018 evening and 5/14/2018.  But not much of a tornado threat expected at this time.

[Hoosier]

Since many of those long tracked tornadoes in the old days are suspect, I looked up what Grazulis has and it's a big difference.  He has it as a tornado family lasting for 30 miles and F2.  Just goes to show how questionable things are.