Technology and Science12 August, 20263 min read
NWS Confirms Three EF-1 Tornadoes After Tuesday Derecho Across Chicago Region
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National Weather Service confirms three EF-1 tornadoes in Chicago area from Tuesday derecho. First EF-1 touched down in eastern Will County near Monee and Crete.
Derecho and EF-1 tornadoes
A destructive derecho pummeled parts of the Chicago region on Tuesday, with the National Weather Service confirming three tornadoes and reporting wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour. NBC 5 Chicago said the NWS confirmed tornadoes in Eastern Will County near Monee through Crete, in Southern Cook County near southern Orland Park toward Flossmoor, and in Northeast Will County including the Minooka area, with damage consistent with EF-1 tornadoes. WGN-TV reported that the NWS confirmed an EF-1 tornado in southern Cook County near the Will County border and featured peak winds from 86-110 mph, and it also confirmed EF-1 tornadoes in eastern Will County and in northeast Will County near Mokena with peak winds from 86-110 mph.
FOX 32 Chicago said the Storm Prediction Center placed the entire area in a Marginal Risk (level 1/5) for tonight, while it tracked a return of strong to severe storms again tonight and Wednesday. WGN-TV added that Tuesday morning’s strong storm system, scientifically known as a mesoscale convective system (MCS), has been preliminarily confirmed as a derecho, with maximum measured wind gusts of 99 mph reported in Gary, Indiana.
Shelter, outages, and quotes
The storms forced sheltering in multiple locations, including downtown Chicago high-rises that urged those inside to seek shelter and Navy Pier where guests and tenants sheltered in place in a parking garage. In south suburban Orland Park, officials reported powerlines down, street lights out, roadways flooded and trees fallen, while Homewood said it was aware of "many downed power lines" as it began to assess damage. CBS News Chicago Meteorologist David Yeomans said, "You can go your whole meteorological career without seeing one thunderstorm this strong, and here we have it," as the Tuesday winds reached 115 mph with potential for winds as high as 120.
In Homewood, Homewood-Flossmoor High School announced its campus would be closed on Wednesday due to storm damage and power outages, and the CBS report described a resident Cathryn Cline-Casillas saying, "It's like an apocalypse," after mature trees and power lines littered streets. ABC7 Chicago described tornado sirens downtown and said at Oak Brook mall shoppers were sent to the basement for shelter, while it quoted Homewood Flossmoor HS Superintendent Jennifer Norrell saying, "Made sure everyone was inside space without glass, windows or skylights and as the leadership was together we took cover; we took it seriously."
Cleanup, closures, and risks
Cleanup efforts remained underway after the fast-moving systems swept into the region, and FOX 32 Chicago said this would continue to impact clean-up efforts around the region. NBC 5 Chicago reported that more than 300,000 NIPSCO customers remained without power in northwest Indiana as of 5:45 p.m., along with an additional estimated 250,000 ComEd customers across northern Illinois. FOX 32 Chicago said scattered storms are expected to develop late tonight into early morning Wednesday, possibly bringing a threat of damaging wind gusts and hail, and it also noted a low-end tornado risk.
ABC7 Chicago reported an overnight Level 2 risk for severe weather due possible storms that could redevelop around midnight and produce large to very large hail, and it also described a weather-related house explosion in northwest Indiana where one person died. WGN-TV explained that if the wind damage swath extends more than 240 miles and includes wind gusts of at least 58 mph or greater along most of its length, then the event may be classified as a derecho, tying the current cleanup to the storm type that produced the confirmed EF-1 tornadoes.