If you’re a connoisseur of 90s tornado videos, you remember the video from Albion, Illinois and the June 2nd, 1990 tornado outbreak. On that date, an outbreak of violent tornadoes struck Illinois and Indiana, many of them photogenic and highly visible from a long distance. That led to a lot of great tornado videos shot by residents! One such video became famous world wide. It showed a tornado approaching in the distance on an Illinois farm, as the residents chatted about the approaching tornado in colorful fashion. The F4 tornado passes within a mile of the farm before disappearing into the distance.
This video was huge in shaping my early childhood fascination in tornadoes and Midwest severe weather. While giving a talk on disruptive weather in Fairfield, IL just down the road from Albion, I got the surprise of a lifetime!
//
Video by Andrew Pritchard, Skydrama.Net
Original June 2nd, 1990 tornado video filmed by Davida Lesner
source
With those horizontal vortices, it looked a lot like a 2011 Cullman tornado.
How cool is this????
This was the last storm system that I chased. It dumped 4" of pea sized HAIL on Wapella IL. So much that I got stuck in the slush. Once I escaped that I chased the tornado up through Leroy towards Saybrook. The massive tornado that I was chasing turned 180 and came right over my truck. I jumped into a ditch and hid in a culvert. Ruined my Fruit of the Looms. Like a dog that chases cars, you only stop when you catch one.
What a cool video! Great way to start the day for me. You video was the 1st one that popped up on my feed! I loved that you had the time to go to site with the gentleman who's cousin filmed that classic video (& I'm sure I have it packed away in some box with the rest of my tornado compilation video tapes). What an awesome experience. "Ain't that funny lookin'"
Excellent video Andrew. Albion could be a name synonymous in F-4 tornado history in the US east of the Mississippi. In early June 1985 I was going into my 5th year as the Head Coach with the UIUC Wheelchair Track and Field Team. On May 31, 1985 the Albion, PA was hit by a one of two F-4 that killed 12 people. At that time I was taking a large contingent of UIUC athletes out to Edinboro State University for the National Wheelchair Games. When we drove out the traffic on I-70 and I-71 in NE Ohio was slow with so many temporary housing units being brought into the area following this massive outbreak. When we drove through Albion on 6N everyone in our 15 passenger van was silent seeing loaded rail cars that had been tossed about, rail beds torn up, as well as cars still sitting in trees following a Ford Dealership taking a direct hit. Being an underfunded Team myself and of our staff went shopping at a local market. They still lacked power so our pickings were slim with nothing but canned goods we found strewn about on the floor of the market. Seeing this carnage and then again seeing what happened in Urbana and in Homer, IL in the 1990's myself and our staff members saw enough excitement for a lifetime as it related to tornado damage up close and personal.
Thanks for keeping us safe Andrew and know that I enjoy your work, sense of humor and intense drive to bring Central Illinois weather to us all.
beautiful piece of work- clever snappy patter. The grand high drama that can happen in that way that spiritual connection- passion and circumstance- the treasure of another story from folks living in that very precious part of the world. Illinois.
Very cool video! Nicely done.
good job friend
Davida had the heart of a storm chaser!! If she felt any fear it was overcome by her drive to catch the tornado on video. Very impressive. I'm so happy for you Andrew that you met that guy and had that experience. And thanks so much for sharing it with us. 😊
Thanks for sharing! I always find it interesting how things change over time. The original video is something else.
A few minutes after this 1990 video was taken I was in the basement of my fathers house in Mt Carmel. Luckily. The twister had weakened by then and caused minimal damage. But then it strengthened again and wrecked Petersburg Indiana.
How cool is this? Very cool!!!!! I have also ventured out to see where tornadoes have traveled and it can be an eye opener. I traveled the whole length of the Rochelle/Fairdale 2015 tornado because it wasn't too far from where I used to work. But this video Andrew is just awesome. Great job!!!!!
Awesome ! ❤