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Weather Alert

Weather History: 10 Dead, Nearly 200 Injured, After F4 Tornado Hits Marion in 1982

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storm, tornado

MARION, Ill. -- 10 lives were lost after a violent F4 tornado swept across Williamson County back on May 29, 1982.

The National Weather Service posted "On This Day in Weather History", two major tornadoes hit the southern Illinois area, one in Perry County, Illinois, and the other in Williamson County.

The first was a F3 tornado which hit in Perry County and nearly destroyed all of the Conant community.

Next was a F4 tornado which started just northwest of Carterville at 3:05 p.m., then moved parallel with Illinois Route 13 and struck Marion.

The tornado was on the ground for 30 minutes and was nearly a quarter mile wide. The National Weather Service said this tornado claimed 10 lives in Marion, injured 181 and left about 1,000 homeless across Williamson County.

The Fujita Tornado Damage Scale was used in 1980. The Enhanced F-scale was implemented in February of 2007.

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