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CHICAGO - At least six tornadoes have been confirmed in Chicago’s south suburbs after severe weather swept through the area Tuesday.
Six tornadoes confirmed in south suburbs
The backstory:
According to FOX Chicago Chief Meteorologist Emily Wahls, an EF-1 tornado was confirmed in eastern Will County, tracking from near Monee through Crete. On Wednesday, that tornado was upgraded to an EF-2.
A second tornado, EF-1, was confirmed in the south suburbs, tracking from near southern Orland Park toward Flossmoor.
A third tornado, EF-1, was confirmed in the Mokena area in Will County and a fourth tornado, an EF-0, was confirmed in Oswego.
A fifth tornado, EF-1, was confirmed in Wilmington with peak wind speeds of 90 mph.
A sixth tornado, EF-1, was confirmed in Homewood by the National Weather Service. The tornado caused heavy damage to a strip mall, several buildings in an apartment complex, and damaged trees and homes.
Severe storms moved through the Chicago area Tuesday morning and early afternoon, bringing wind gusts of up to 80 mph, ping-pong ball-sized hail, flooding and tornadoes.
Tuesday's weather event was officially classified as a derecho by the Storm Prediction Center.
Several communities sustained significant damage from the storms, including areas in Cook and Will counties. Damage was also reported in Homewood, Tinley Park and other communities.
Fatalities reported:
So far, two deaths have been reported in Indiana.
Lake County Coroner David Pastrick said 58-year-old Paula Plebanski was killed after she was struck by roofing material during Tuesday's severe weather. Her death was ruled an accident.
A 4-year-old child in Jennings County also died after a tree fell on the child's home, according to reports.
Looking ahead:
Another round of storms is possible Wednesday, though skies are also expected to clear at times. Highs will be in the low to mid-80s. Areas south and west of Chicago are under a marginal risk for severe weather, with damaging winds and hail possible.
Thursday will be mostly cloudy with a chance of storms and highs in the low to mid-80s.
Friday will be partly sunny, with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s.
Saturday will be mostly cloudy with storms possible and highs near 80.
Sunday will be mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and highs in the low 80s.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago meteorologists.