National Weather Service Confirms Large Extremely Dangerous Tornado Near Streator as Chicago Tornado Watch Runs

A tornado risk surged across the Chicago area as a line of severe storms moved through northern Illinois on Thursday evening, with multiple tornadoes reported in the far west and southwest suburbs of Chicago.

“Over 600 flight cancellations at Chicago airports, events delayed across city CHICAGO (WLS) -- After strong thunderstorms moved through the Chicago area Wednesday, toppling trees and causing power outages, another round of storms is forecast for Thursday”

ABC7 Chicago

The National Weather Service reported a confirmed "large and extremely dangerous tornado" near south Streator, moving east at 25 miles per hour, while Illinois State Police reported major structural damage on the south side of Streator.

ABC7 Chicago

The NBC 5 Chicago live updates described the Chicago area as bracing for its next battering with an even greater tornado risk, citing the Storm Prediction Center’s "moderate risk" of severe weather as a rare level four out of five.

A Tornado Watch was in effect for the entire Chicago area, including multiple Illinois counties and Indiana counties, until 9 p.m., as the greatest danger for tornadoes and severe storms was forecast between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

As tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued across counties including Kankakee, Livingston, Grundy, and LaSalle, residents were repeatedly urged to heed warnings and seek shelter immediately.

The CBS News guidance said, "If you are in the area of a tornado warning, seek shelter in a basement or interior room in the lowest level of your home immediately," while also noting radar debris signatures and reports of baseball-sized hail.

AccuWeather

In Chicago, the ABC7 Chicago report said the Storm Prediction Center had much of the area under a Level 4 Risk for severe weather, and it described the main severe weather threat coming from 4 to 10 p.m. with strong winds, large hail, and a threat of tornadoes.

The Chicago Tribune reported that as of Thursday afternoon, more than 130,000 ComEd customers were without power, and it quoted meteorologist Kevin Donofrio saying the risk for tornadoes in certain areas was "slightly elevated."

Beyond tornadoes, the Chicago-area storm threat included flooding and high winds, with a Flood Watch in effect for the entire Chicago area and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana until 11 p.m. and a ground stop issued at O'Hare International Airport until 7:15 p.m. grounding all flights headed to O'Hare due to the storms.

“CHICAGOLAND DETAILS … Radar indicates precipitation indicates thunderstorm over most of northern Illinois”

arlingtoncardinal

The Chicago Tribune described how a Mumford & Sons concert at Wrigley Field originally set to begin at 6:30 p.m. was pushed back three and a half hours, with the opening sets canceled, while the White Sox game scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. was also delayed.

ABC7 Chicago reported that as of 4 p.m., over 600 flights had been canceled at O'Hare airport over 24 hours, with delays of nearly 90 minutes, and it said ComEd had more than 4,600 active outages impacting 132,000 customers.

In the broader regional outlook, Newsweek said the National Weather Service briefing highlighted a threat for strong (EF-2+) tornadoes between 4 and 8 PM, and it quoted FEMA’s message on X urging residents to "Keep an eye on your local forecast and make sure your emergency alerts are turned on."