Rare January tornado touches down near Harvard

A tornado touched down near Harvard and in the nearby town of Lawrence Monday afternoon, tipping a semi-tractor trailer, derailing a freight train, felling trees and ripping siding from homes, witnesses said.

No serious injuries were reported.

Kathy Luth, who lives on Malinda Drive north of Harvard, said she saw the tornado touch down twice in a cornfield as it passed about 150 to 250 yards from her house.

"If it turned my way, I'm hitting the basement," said Luth, who even shot a couple photos of the twister. "After it was over, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I saw a tornado.' It was amazing. It's something you hope you never see, but now that it's over, you're like - whoa, that was cool."

Luth said the twister did not damage her home or her neighbors', but probably knocked over a semi-truck that was on Route 14.

Other areas weren't as fortunate as Luth's.

In nearby Lawrence, the storm pelted the area with pea- to quarter-sized hail.

Hazardous materials teams were called to respond, but further information was not immediately available.

The storm also ripped siding from homes, knocked trees onto roofs and downed power lines in Lawrence, said Bill LeFew, a Harvard resident and chairman of the McHenry County Republican party.

"It's a mess," said LeFew, who predicted a long night for people whose homes were hit. "It's even worse in the country (without) power because if you have no electricity, you have no water. Everyone has wells."

Record-warm temperatures helped fuel a strong wave of storms that passed through northeastern Illinois, prompting the National Weather Service to issue tornado and storm warnings.

The National Weather Service canceled its storm warning at about 4:15 p.m., but a tornado watch remained in effect until 9 p.m.

Bob Ellsworth, assistant director for the McHenry County Emergency Management Department, said a funnel cloud was spotted at about 4 p.m. near Oak Grove Road and Route 14 in Harvard.

Ellworth added that a semi-tractor trailer in the area was tipped over and some structures may have been damaged.

At least two cars on a freight train along Cash Road near Lawrence may have derailed.

"We're still assessing some of the damage right now," Ellworth said.

Harvard Police Chief Gary Kazey said the city received "minor damage" but some areas may have been hit harder.