Apparent twin tornadoes in Kane County, touchdowns in Streamwood, near O'Hare among storms
The National Weather Service confirmed damaging tornadoes moved through the suburbs and Chicago in the late afternoon and evening Wednesday, with one touching down near O'Hare International Airport and "multiple tornadoes in Kane County."
The weather service office in Romeoville told the Shaw Local News Network it had reports of touchdowns in Lily Lake and South Elgin. Social media users posted images and videos of what appeared to be twin tornadoes in Kane County, west of Elgin and South Elgin in the Campton Hills area.
The tornado by O'Hare was "touching the ground intermittently" about 7 p.m. and moving east, according to a tweet from the weather service, with "additional circulations" south of O'Hare. Cook County had been under a tornado warning after a separate tornado was confirmed by the weather service east of South Elgin, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
OMFG THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER. Plato Township, IL.
— Jordan S ?? (@Jordan22twt)
Ther> were confirmed tornadoes on the east side of Streamwood and near Hodgkins and Summit just to the north of I-55, ABC 7 meteorologist Cheryl Scott said.
Sirens went off throughout the suburbs, and warnings sounded on televisions and phones. But all warnings ended by about 7:45 p.m., with only a watch remaining in place for some of the area.
In a text message to Shaw, Campton Hills Trustee Timothy Morgan said a tornado touched down at Burlington and Dittman roads, but there was no damage. Campton Township Road Commissioner Sam Gallucci said a tornado touched down at Bowes and Nesler roads in Elgin and caused damage.
Images of large fallen trees in Campton Hills and the Elgin area, with some damage to houses, appeared in social media posts and residents' photos.
In Huntley, two apartment buildings were badly damaged, with one losing its roof, ABC 7 reported. Eight families were displaced, but officials said no injuries were reported.
Huntley Battalion Chief Mike Pierce told ABC 7 that firefighters and other emergency services were responding to downed power lines, trees and tree branches, and power outages had been reported.
ABC 7 also reported wind damage in Aurora.
Video from TV stations showed hundreds of people taking shelter in an O'Hare concourse, The Associated Press reported. Some 169 flights were canceled and nearly 500 were delayed, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.
Flights were grounded at Midway International Airport and O'Hare International Airport from 5 to 7:15 p.m., the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The South and Southwest suburbs saw heavy rain, with 2.63 inches reported in Romeoville, weather service meteorologist Jake Petr told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The National Weather Service issued two tornado warnings Wednesday evening for portions of Chicago proper. Tornado sirens sounded at least twice, warning people to take cover and ringing through the city's buildings, the AP reported.
Lynn Becker, a longtime Chicago resident, posted video to Twitter with the sirens sounding out across the city's iconic skyline.
"I'm in a 60-story apartment building so my options are somewhat limited," he said. "We have to, I assume, go into the core of the building."
A tornado watch was in place for DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, La Salle, McHenry and Will counties until 10 p.m. A tornado watch means a tornado is possible; it is less severe than a tornado warning, which indicates that a tornado has been seen or is expected by the weather service.
In the event of a tornado warning, residents should move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and to avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.
Many tornadoes have struck in the Chicago area, and several have hit within the city limits of Chicago, according to the National Weather Service. From 1855 to 2021, the weather service recorded 97 significant tornadoes in the metro area.
The deadliest formed in Palos Hills on April 21, 1967. The twister traveled 16 miles through Oak Lawn and the South Side of Chicago, killing 33 people and injuring 500.