CHICAGO — A series of severe storms with embedded tornadoes swept through northern Illinois, including the Chicagoland area, on Monday evening. These storms brought hurricane-force wind gusts as nocturnal tornadoes moved through Chicago.
Numerous tornadoes were reported across northern Illinois and the suburbs of Chicago, with forecasters tracking more than a dozen warnings at a time as the storms progressed through the region.
Radar showed multiple warnings: Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in yellow, Tornado Warnings in red, confirmed Tornado Warnings in purple, Flash Flood Warnings in green, and Flash Flood Emergencies in pink.
Severe storms continue to impact the Midwest, generating multiple Severe Thunderstorm Warnings across its path.
The storms brought wind gusts of 70-90 mph to northern Illinois, with a gust of 75 mph reported at Chicago O’Hare Airport. Late into the evening, numerous Tornado Warnings were issued in northern Illinois, including downtown Chicago.
The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for Cook County, including downtown Chicago, around 9:15 p.m. The tornado-warned storm had a history of producing radar-indicated tornadoes as it moved through the suburbs. A tornado was later spotted at Chicago O’Hare Airport, and power flashes were seen at Chicago Midway Airport.
Nearly 11 million people across southern Wisconsin, eastern Iowa, and northern Illinois, including Chicago, were placed in a Level 4 out of 5 risk on the severe thunderstorm risk scale by the SPC. Over 40 million people across the Midwest were under the threat of severe weather.
The severe weather threat follows a destructive weekend of storms from the Plains to the Upper Midwest. There were numerous reports of severe weather, including a video showing a tornado in Barney, North Dakota, wind gusts as strong as a Category 2 hurricane in South Dakota, softball-sized hail in Montana, and significant damage to buildings south of Chicago.
A video from Sunday night shows storm clouds approaching Chicago with tornado sirens audible in the background.
Damage was reported in several communities after Sunday night’s severe weather, including a roof blown off a home in Maple Park and several downed trees and large branches in Chicago. Earlier that day, a thunderstorm caused extensive damage in Joliet, south of Chicago, leaving thousands without power and damaging the Rock and Roll Museum. A building’s roof was torn off and landed in the middle of a road.
On Saturday, heavy rain caused flooding in Rockford, Illinois, leading to a fatality when a pickup truck passenger became trapped and drowned.
Additionally, a tornado in Barney, North Dakota, was documented over the weekend, showing it spinning across a field and lifting dirt and debris into the air.