DuPage County issues disaster order for tornado that hit Addison; 2 twisters confirmed in Tri-Cities

DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy authorized a disaster proclamation Monday to marshal resources for businesses and homes damaged by a tornado that hit Addison last week.

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado began in an industrial park on the north side of Lombard Friday night before churning into Addison, causing sporadic roof damage. The tornado packed estimated peak winds of 95 miles per hour and has been assigned a rating of EF-1 on the six-level Enhanced Fujita scale.

"Issuing a disaster declaration allows county residents impacted by the storm to seek any state or federal resources that may become available to assist in their recovery efforts," Conroy said in a statement Monday. "We will do everything we can to help anyone who may have been affected by this storm."

A second round of storms Friday spawned at least 18 tornadoes across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, the weather service said. Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a disaster declaration on Saturday for DuPage and four other counties struck by tornadoes.

Illinois' congressional delegation wrote a letter Monday to President Joe Biden in support of Pritzker's request for federal assistance for Boone, Crawford, DuPage, Marion and Sangamon counties. One person was killed after the roof of the Apollo Theatre collapsed in Belvidere, and three others died in Robinson.

"Gov. Pritzker has indicated that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response and recovery is beyond the combined capability of the state and local governments," the delegation wrote. "As such, he requests Public Assistance and Individual Assistance for these counties to help the residents clean up and rebuild amid this large-scale damage."

Late Monday night, the National Weather Service said two tornadoes also were confirmed to have touched down in the Tri-Cities on Friday - one EF-0 tornado each in St. Charles and Batavia. EF-0 tornadoes feature wind speeds of 65-85 mph, while winds in an EF-1 can be as fast as 110 mph.

The service said it would continue surveying data from the Friday storms, though Tuesday's weather might interfere with those efforts.

In Addison, 25 structures sustained damage, including nine businesses and 16 residential buildings, according to village staff assessments over the weekend.

Security camera footage from a fire station captured the tornado causing roof damage to nearby office buildings. The tornado then left primarily tree damage as it moved across a residential area of Addison south of Fullerton Avenue.

In a matter of about two minutes, the tornado traveled 1.6 miles before lifting at around 8:19 p.m. Friday as it crossed Fullerton Avenue at Hale Street.

To the south and east of the tornado's path, the weather service noted a wider swath of damage caused by straight-line winds of up to roughly 85 miles per hour. The weather service found additional instances of roof damage to office buildings, a roof peeled off an apartment complex, a semitrailer truck blown over on I-290, and damage to brick sound barriers along the tollway.

The DuPage disaster declaration allows the county to help procure items or services for recovery efforts.

More storms are possible late Tuesday and into election night, but there's still uncertainty about the severe weather threat.

Voters might want to grab a jacket if they're heading to the polls early. Expect cool, cloudy, even drizzly conditions and temperatures in the 40s and 50s Tuesday morning, says Matt Friedlein, a meteorologist for the weather service's Romeoville office.

Winds will turn more southerly later in the day, with temperatures warming through the 60s and into the low 70s. With the warmer air comes the chance for thunderstorms.

"There could be some spotty showers or thunderstorms through midafternoon," Friedlein said. "I think they'll be pretty spotty, though, and then comes some of the uncertainty. There could be scattered thunderstorms late in the day into the night that would be severe if they develop."

If storms do materialize, hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes are all possible.

"Unlike last Friday's event that saw widespread wind damage across a lot of the western Chicago suburbs, we're not as confident everywhere is going to see storms," Friedlein said. "In fact, everywhere probably won't see storms even if they do develop."

Parts of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois have a greater risk of severe storms.