At least 17 tornadoes confirmed across Illinois, Indiana during severe weather outbreak
Thousands across Illinois, Indiana still without power after severe weather outbreak
Thousands of Illinois and Indiana residents are still without electricity after a severe weather outbreak last week.
CHICAGO - The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 17 tornadoes across Illinois and Indiana in last week's severe weather outbreak.
Tornadoes in Illinois and Indiana
Among the strongest tornadoes Thursday were an EF-3 in Streator, Illinois, and an EF-3 in Kouts, Indiana.
Other confirmed tornadoes included:
- EF-2 from Hickory Hills to near Midway Airport
- EF-2 in Merrillville, Indiana
- EF-1 in Wenona/Osage Township, Illinois
- EF-1 from Graymont to Dwight, Illinois
- EF-1 in Bartlett, Illinois
- EF-1 east of Ludlow, Illinois
- EF-1 between Paxton and Loda, Illinois
- EF-1 near Boswell, Indiana
- EF-0 in St. John, Indiana
- EF-0 from near Schneider to near Hebron, Indiana
- EF-0 in Cedar Lake, Indiana
- EF-0 from Naperville into Lisle
- EF-0 from southwest of Gibson City to near Elliott
- At least two EF-0 tornadoes along a corridor from Watseka, Illinois, to west of Rensselaer, Indiana
Crucifix remains standing amid wreckage after Indiana tornado outbreak
Powerful storms tore through Chicagoland and northwest Indiana on Thursday night, leaving damage behind. But amid the wreckage, one thing remained standing: a crucifix depicting Jesus on the cross.
The NWS said additional damage analysis will continue in the coming days, and more information about the weather event is available HERE.
What's next:
The first round of showers this week arrives Tuesday morning. This will be followed by a few hours of clearing, allowing temperatures to rise into the mid to upper 70s. During the afternoon, a front will cross the area, sparkling showers and possibly some strong thunderstorms. The primary threats are heavy downpours and gusty winds. This is not a tornado situation.
On Wednesday it will be partly sunny in the morning, but then a disturbance will roll in from the north-west which could lead to strong thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening. Chicagoland is in a level two "slight risk" for severe thunderstorms with all hazards being in play. The enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms, level three, is south of the Kankakee and Illinois River valleys. Wednesday is clearly the day to be most concerned for severe weather in the p.m.
Power outages linger
Thousands of Illinois residents are still without electricity days after the severe weather outbreak.
According to ComEd, more than 2,600 customers across Illinois remained without power as of Monday morning. That's a significant improvement from last week, when about 450,000 ComEd customers lost power.
Several rounds of severe storms caused widespread damage in communities including Alsip, Crestwood, Palos Heights and Joliet.
Strong winds knocked down power poles and electrical lines, uprooted trees and damaged homes and vehicles. Debris remains scattered in some of the hardest-hit areas.
In a statement, ComEd said customers who remain without power "have not been forgotten."
"This has been the most damaging storm since the 2020 Derecho. Large trees are down across equipment and blocking access to neighborhoods with restoration needs, and hundreds of utility poles broken and must be completely replaced — not simply repaired. That kind of work is complex and takes more time to do safely, even with crews working around the clock."
ComEd said additional rounds of storms over the weekend have further complicated restoration efforts and asked customers for continued patience.
The utility is also reminding residents to stay away from downed power lines and report them to ComEd.
In Indiana, NIPSCO said about 9,200 customers remained without power Monday morning, down from approximately 86,640 after the storms. The utility said crews continue working around the clock to repair widespread damage, including hundreds of damaged poles and 15 transmission towers.
The Source: The information in this story came from the National Weather Service, FOX Chicago's Mike Caplan, and ComEd.