Severe thunderstorm warnings issued across parts of the Chicago area as severe storms batter the region

Severe weather devastated parts of the Chicago area as massive hail and reported tornado touchdowns left behind a wake of damage across several suburbs.

“Severe weather devastated parts of the Chicago area as massive hail and reported tornado touchdowns left behind a wake of damage across several suburbs”

NBC Chicago

Earlier in the evening, numerous tornado touchdowns were reported across parts of the region and northwest Indiana, with devastation reported in multiple communities in Kankakee County.

NBC Chicago

Numerous structures were damaged or destroyed, and power outages were impacting hundreds of residents in the area as crews scrambled to assess the damage and rescue anyone left trapped by the storms.

As of 11:05 p.m., a severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect for east-central LaPorte County in northwest Indiana until 11:45 p.m. Central.

A tornado watch also remains in effect for LaPorte County until 2 a.m., though that watch was canceled for the remainder of the Chicago area.

NBC Chicago

A flash flood warning in northern LaSalle County will remain in effect until midnight, while a flood watch will remain in effect in Cook, DuPage, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will, and Kankakee counties in Illinois, as well as Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, until 3 a.m.

The National Weather Service issued an urgent warning about a large tornado moving through the village of Aroma Park in Kankakee County on Tuesday evening before more tornadoes were reported in parts of northwest Indiana, with the agency calling it a "life-threatening situation."

“Severe weather devastated parts of the Chicago area as massive hail and reported tornado touchdowns left behind a wake of damage across several suburbs”

NBC Chicago

The NWS said "A large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado is on the ground," and instructed: "To protect your life, take cover now! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows.

If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris."

Even communities spared by reported tornadoes were hammered by softball-size hail, smashing car windshields and damaging roofs across the Kankakee area.

A large swath of the region, including much of Cook County, had been under an "enhanced" risk of severe weather, which ranks as level three of five.

NBC Chicago

Possibly intense tornadoes were expected across the "moderate" and "enhanced" risk regions as the storm system pushes through, and the tornado threat is expected to last through at least 10 p.m. for most locations but could extend later across northwest Indiana, with southern communities at the greatest risk as the air is the most unstable.

Track the latest conditions in real-time with Live Doppler 5 radar here.