Chicago, Illinois – Multiple tornadoes tore through the Chicago area amidst severe weather on Tuesday night, bringing golf ball-size hail to several communities. Trained weather spotters reported at least four tornado touchdowns during the outbreak in western and northern Illinois.
University of Michigan and the National Weather Service also documented a fifth tornado in far western Illinois. Survey teams are set to assess if there were additional touchdowns connected to the storm outbreak in the coming days.
One of the tornadoes touched down near Sugar Grove in southern Kane County, causing damage at Waubonsee Community College. In addition to tornadoes, straight-line winds reaching up to 63 miles per hour were recorded in Sugar Grove. Another tornado touchdown occurred in Big Rock located in Kane County near Hinckley, potentially causing damage at a construction site near a Jewel-Osco in suburban Batavia.
Reports also indicated a tornado touchdown near Inverness and Schaumburg in Cook County, with wind damage reported near Palatine. Moreover, a gust of 82 miles per hour was measured by a private weather station in the Palatine area. Another touchdown was reported near Waterman in DeKalb County.
Large hail was also reported in the region, with golf ball-size hail in Darien in DuPage County, Romeoville in Will County, and Sublette. In addition, ping pong ball-size hail hit near Plainfield, according to trained weather spotters.
Thankfully, there were no immediate reports of injuries from the storms. As the storms subside, a significant drop in temperatures is expected with a cold front moving in. Temperatures may plummet by nearly 50 degrees in some areas, with wind chills expected to dip into the single-digits by Wednesday morning. Snow accumulation is also a possibility in some locations due to the cold front.
However, the cool down is predicted to be brief, as temperatures are forecasted to rise back up into the 60s by Saturday. The changing weather patterns serve as a reminder of the unpredictability and resilience required in the face of natural disasters.