Storms in the Chicago area Monday evening produced “multiple simultaneous tornadoes” and “dozens of circulations” were reported.
As the storms spread from west to east across the region, “radar confirmed” tornadoes were reported in several counties near Chicago, and watches and warnings were issued for all Chicago-area counties due to the severe weather.
The National Weather Service called it a series of “destructive thunderstorms,” while the NBC 5 Storm Team called it an “incredibly active night.”
“We haven’t seen anything like this in years,” said NBC5 Storm Team Meteorologist Kevin Jeans.
A radar-confirmed tornado formed near Sugar Grove and was reported approaching the Aurora area as of 9 p.m., according to the NWS. Shortly after, another tornado was confirmed near Oswego and was moving east toward Plainfield and southern Naperville.
Following severe thunderstorms and multiple tornadoes Monday night, video surfaced from DeKalb showing multiple fires and downed trees in the area.
Numerous other tornadoes were reported as the storm continued, with rain changing to “rain” in most areas just before 10:30 p.m., according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
A series of “devastating” storms left a trail of damage.
The Chicago Fire Department said it was responding to “several” reports of collapsed porches and downed trees.
Police said they received reports of a tree down across an entire block near 70th Avenue and Campbell Street.
In Joliet, there were numerous reports of downed power lines throughout the city, and several roads were partially or completely blocked by trees and fallen branches, police said.
Reports of downed trees flooded in from many other suburbs.
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was grounded, with all departing flights to the airport grounded until at least 10:30 p.m. “due to a tornado,” and Metra trains on several lines were halted “due to high wind warnings.”
As of 10 p.m., hundreds of thousands of people across the region were without power.
The storm marked a second straight day of severe weather to hit the region, with a rare direct hit reported as far away as Chicago on Sunday evening.
