MARION – Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the deadly F4 tornado that carved a 17-mile long path across Williamson County including the city of Marion.
According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, at times, the tornado was nearly a quarter mile wide.
The tornado first touched down about 3 miles northwest of Carterville around 3:05 p.m. After moving southeast across Carterville to Crainville, the twister then paralleled Illinois Route 13 through Marion. On the ground for nearly 30 minutes, the tornado claimed 10 lives in Marion, injured nearly 200, and left approximately 1,000 persons homeless across Williamson County. Estimated damage was between $85 and $100 million.
You can find the full report about the tornado at weather.gov/pah/1982tornado.