Tornado Outbreak Hits Chicago Area: Multiple Tornadoes and Golf Ball-sized Hail Reported
Tornadoes Sweep Across Western and Northern Illinois
Multiple tornadoes were reported across the Chicago area during an outbreak of severe weather on Tuesday night, with golf ball-size hail falling in many communities.
According to trained weather spotters, at least four reports of tornado touchdowns emerged from the outbreak in the Chicago area, which swept across western and northern Illinois Tuesday evening.
A fifth tornado was reported in far western Illinois, according to the University of Michigan and the National Weather Service.
Survey teams will determine whether there were additional touchdowns linked to the storm outbreak in coming days.
Tornadoes Reported in Kane, Cook, and DeKalb Counties
According to officials, one of the tornadoes touched down near Sugar Grove in southern Kane County. That tornado is believed to have caused damage at Waubonsee Community College, with damage to trees, power poles, and fences reported in the area.
Sugar Grove was also buffeted by straight-line winds, with one gust measured at 63 miles per hour by a private weather station.
Another tornado touchdown was reported in Big Rock. That community is located in Kane County near Hinckley, according to officials, and that tornado may have caused damage at a construction site near a Jewel-Osco in suburban Batavia.
There were also reports of a tornado touchdown near Inverness and Schaumburg in Cook County, with a reported tornado causing wind damage near Palatine. A private weather station in that area measured a gust of 82 miles per hour, according to a trained weather spotter.
Finally, another touchdown was reported near Waterman in DeKalb County, officials said.
Large Hail and Freezing Temperatures
In addition to the tornadoes, some large hail was also reported throughout the area. Trained weather spotters reported golf ball-size hail in Darien, located in DuPage County, and in Romeoville, located in Will County.
Golf ball-size hail was also reported near Sublette, according to officials.
Ping pong ball-size hail was also recorded near Plainfield, according to trained weather spotters.
There were no immediate reports of injuries in any of the storms.
Even as those storms move out, a massive swing in temperatures is expected. A cold front moving in behind the storms is expected to drop temperatures by nearly 50 degrees in some locations, with wind chills plummeting into the single-digits by Wednesday morning.
That cold front could also bring snow to the area, with up to an inch of accumulation possible in some locations, according to forecast models.
The cooldown will be short-lived, however, with readings heading back up into the 60s by Saturday, according to forecast models.
