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Why is Illinois having so many tornadoes? NWS confirms 20 in last week's severe weather outbreak
FOX Chicago's Mike Caplan breaks down why he thinks Illinois has been seeing so many tornadoes in recent years.
CHICAGO - The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 20 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 from Merrillville to Hobart, 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-1 in Wellington, Illinois
- EF-0 from Naperville into Lisle
- EF-0 from southwest of Gibson City to near Elliott
- EF-0 from St. John to Schererville, Indiana
- EF-0 from near Schneider to near Hebron, Indiana
- EF-0 in Cedar Lake, Indiana
- EF-U in Lee, Illinois
- EF-U in Pembroke Township (Leesville), Illinois
- At least two EF-0 tornadoes along a corridor from Watseka, Illinois, to west of Rensselaer, Indiana
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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:
Wednesday is a concerning day, especially in the afternoon and early evening. FOX Chicago's Mike Caplan expects an area of showers and thunderstorms to be rumbling through our viewing area during the morning hours. At this point, it does not appear as though severe weather would accompany that. However, heavy rainfall could be a concern.
The show happens during the afternoon and early evening. Chicagoland is once again highlighted for an all-hazard outbreak, including tornadoes. The highest chance for significant tornadoes will be south of Interstate 80. This does not mean the tornadoes cannot occur elsewhere in our area.
Caplan picks 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. as prime time for these stronger storms, which can have damaging straight-line winds, hail and torrential downpours as well as the tornado risk.
Power outages linger
Thousands of Indiana residents are still without electricity days after the severe weather outbreak.
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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.
According to NIPSCO, more than 5,000 customers remained without power Tuesday morning, down from roughly 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 and FOX Chicago's Mike Caplan.