Multiple Tornadoes Strike Chicago Area, Severe Weather Outbreak Causes Damage and Hail
On Tuesday night, a severe weather outbreak struck the Chicago area, resulting in multiple tornadoes and widespread damage. Trained weather spotters reported at least four tornado touchdowns across western and northern Illinois, with an additional tornado reported in far western Illinois. Survey teams will be assessing the extent of the damage in the coming days to determine if there were any additional tornado touchdowns.
One of the tornadoes touched down near Sugar Grove in southern Kane County, causing significant damage to the area. Waubonsee Community College suffered damage to trees, power poles, and fences. Sugar Grove also experienced strong straight-line winds, with one gust reaching an impressive 63 miles per hour as recorded by a private weather station.
Another tornado touchdown was reported in Big Rock, located in Kane County near Hinckley. This tornado potentially caused damage at a construction site near a Jewel-Osco in suburban Batavia.
Cook County also experienced tornado touchdowns, with reports coming in from Inverness and Schaumburg. Palatine was hit by a tornado that caused wind damage. A gust of 82 miles per hour was measured by a private weather station in the area. Additionally, Waterman in DeKalb County reported another tornado touchdown.
In addition to the tornadoes, large hail was also reported throughout the area. Trained weather spotters observed golf ball-size hail in Darien, DuPage County, and Romeoville, Will County. Sublette also experienced golf ball-size hail, while Plainfield reported ping pong ball-size hail.
Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries resulting from these storms. However, as the storms move out, a drastic drop in temperatures is expected due to a cold front moving in behind them. Some locations may experience a temperature drop of nearly 50 degrees, with wind chills plunging into the single digits by Wednesday morning. Forecast models also suggest the potential for snow, with up to an inch of accumulation in certain areas.
While the cool down will be brief, with temperatures rising back into the 60s by Saturday according to forecast models, the impact of these severe storms and tornadoes will be felt for days to come. The affected communities will need time to recover and rebuild from the damage caused by this unexpected weather event.
