Tornadoes Tear Through Midwest, Kill 3 Including Elderly Indiana Couple and Kankakee Resident

A powerful EF-3 tornado tracked across parts of Kankakee County, Illinois, into northwest Indiana, producing peak winds of about 150 miles per hour and carving a path of destruction for dozens of miles.

CBS News described it as “a powerful EF-3 tornado, with peak winds of 150 miles per hour, which tore through Kankakee County, leaving portions of Aroma Park decimated,” while NBC 5 Chicago cited the National Weather Service reporting “peak winds around 150 miles per hour” and estimated the twister “traveled more than 36 miles.”

ABC

The Chicago Sun-Times placed the touchdown time and track, saying “It touched down around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday just west of Aroma Park and swept east for about 35 miles, reaching a point near Demotte, Indiana,” and local reporting noted the storm “downed trees and power lines and overwhelmed the 911 center” as it moved through communities.

(EF-3 intensity, long track, and severe local impacts were consistently reported across outlets.)

Authorities reported three storm-related deaths tied to the same tornado system: two elderly residents in Lake Village, Indiana, and one person found in a damaged Kankakee County home.

Patch detailed that “The two people killed in Lake Village, Indiana, were identified by the Newton County Coroner's Office as Edward Kozlowski, 89, and Arlene Kozlowski, 84,” while Patch and ABC both reported on the Illinois fatality — Patch noting “The death is the first reported in Illinois in connection with Tuesday’s tornado in Kankakee County” and ABC reporting “A person was found dead in a Kankakee County home on Thursday, days after an EF-3 tornado hit the area, officials said.”

CBS News

NBC 5 Chicago confirmed the county’s casualty reports and injury count, stating “Per the latest reports, 11 people were injured in Kankakee County during the storms, though this is the first reported fatality for the county.”

The tornado left extensive structural damage, flattening neighborhoods and destroying hundreds of buildings and dozens of homes across Kankakee County.

“The tornado that tore through Kankakee County this week destroyed at least 30 homes and damaged nearly 500 buildings in the state, Gov”

Chicago Sun-Times

CBS News reported the scope, saying “The tornado damaged 500 buildings around Kankakee County, with 30 homes completely destroyed,” while local and network video accounts showed “homes flattened, trees uprooted and shredded, and debris scattered across entire neighborhoods that were wiped out in a matter of seconds,” per CBS News Skywatch.

WWAYTV3 described the on-the-ground destruction as it “leveled entire blocks — shearing the roofs off some buildings and ripping straight through others,” and ABC added that “One stretch of homes in Aroma Park was completely flattened by the tornado, which was on the ground for over an hour on Tuesday.”

Emergency response included search-and-rescue checks, shelters, and visits from political leaders as communities began recovery.

WWAYTV3 said “Officials were seen overnight going door to door and walking through homes in rubble, performing search and rescue efforts,” and reported that “The American Red Cross of Illinois said a shelter was open at Kankakee Community College, offering meals, charging stations, pet kennels and a place for people to stay.”

FOX 32 Chicago

CBS News noted local authorities’ elevated status, reporting that “Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said the county declared a state of emergency due to the severity of the storm damage,” and CBS also reported “Gov. JB Pritzker visited Aroma Park” while NBC quoted the governor’s social post: "My heart breaks for this individual's family and the whole community."

Residents described shock and an urgent scramble to recover as officials warned of continuing severe weather.

“A person was found dead in a home destroyed by the tornado that plowed through Kankakee County this week, marking the third death reported from the severe storms, authorities said Thursday”

NBC 5 Chicago

WWAYTV3 quoted a resident saying, “We stepped out and saw our neighbor’s garage gone … and the next neighbor’s house gone, both of our cars, my living room, our shed, gone,” and ABC captured neighbor accounts of loss and concern, reporting a neighbor who said the victim “was a nice guy. He was very quiet.”

NBC 5 Chicago

CBS noted local pleas for help and kept focus on recovery, quoting a resident urging leaders not to make the recovery “a political football,” and ABC warned of more risk, saying “This news comes as another round of possibly dangerous high winds is expected to sweep through the already devastated area.”

Patch and local officials also traced the storms to the same supercell that moved from Pontiac, Illinois, into northwest Indiana, underlining the broad storm complex that produced the damage.