Three EF-1 tornadoes confirmed in Chicago-area storms, with twisters reaching northwest Indiana
Three tornadoes tore through the Chicago area on Tuesday morning and midday as a destructive line of storms slammed the region with wind gusts reaching
Three tornadoes tore through the Chicago area on Tuesday morning and midday as a destructive line of storms slammed the region with wind gusts reaching 100 mph, the National Weather Service said.
The weather service said surveys wrapped up Tuesday evening with three tornadoes confirmed in the south suburbs and northwest Indiana. Two crossed from Illinois into Lake County, Indiana — one into Munster and another into St. John — while a third hit northeast Will County near the Mokena area.
Damage paths crossed suburbs and state lines
The confirmed tornadoes tracked through eastern Will County from near Monee through Crete, southern Cook County from near southern Orland Park toward Flossmoor, and northeast Will County including the Minooka area, according to the National Weather Service and local broadcasts. Damage in each case was consistent with at least EF-1 strength, the second-lowest category on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Across the south suburbs, the storm left a familiar mess. Trees and power lines came down in places including Lansing and Flossmoor, while roads were blocked and debris piled up around homes. In Homewood, crews were already dealing with storm debris from earlier in the summer when more limbs and branches had to be cleared Tuesday.
ABC7 Chicago reported that workers downtown were told to take shelter around 10:45 a.m., and tornado sirens were heard in the city. Shoppers at Oak Brook mall were sent to the basement as the weather turned dangerous.
Derecho brought broader destruction
The National Weather Service said the tornadoes came as part of a rare derecho, a fast-moving and damaging storm line preliminarily classified that way by the Storm Prediction Center. The same system knocked down trees, trucks and power lines across the Chicago area and also caused flooding in some spots.
As crews continued to assess damage in southern Cook County and eastern Will County, they were also moving toward northwest Indiana to check the full path of the storms. NBC Chicago said survey work was still underway as of Tuesday evening.
One person died in a weather-related house explosion in northwest Indiana, according to ABC7 Chicago.
The NWS had earlier confirmed at least three tornadoes in the Chicago south suburbs, and later reports said two of them crossed into Indiana. In Munster and St. John, the confirmation added another stretch to Tuesday’s storm map. The surveys kept widening it.
