Tornado record · Original Fujita scale
F4 tornado, Lake County, Illinois, September 28, 1972
RatingF4
Deaths0
Injuries20
Length5.2 mi
Width220 yd
Path
Drawn as a straight line from the recorded start point (42.28, -87.87) to the end point (42.37, -87.83), which is all NOAA's record holds. The real track may have curved.
The record
- Date
- September 28, 1972, 5:55 PM (as recorded, Central Standard Time)
- Rating
- F4
- States
- Illinois
- Counties
- Lake County
- Near the path
- Waukegan, North Chicago, Lake Bluff, Knollwood (approximate: towns the straight recorded line passes through)
- Path
- 5.2 miles long, up to 220 yards wide
- Casualties
- 0 deaths, 20 injuries
Other tornadoes on September 28, 1972
| Date | Rating | State | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 28, 1972 | F2 | Iowa | 64.5 mi | 2,200 yd | 0 | 3 |
| Sep 28, 1972 | F2 | Wisconsin | 1.5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 28, 1972 | F2 | Wisconsin | 1 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 28, 1972 | F1 | Wisconsin | 0.1 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 28, 1972 | F1 | Wisconsin | 2.2 mi | 27 yd | 0 | 0 |
Tornado history nearby
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.