NOTE: Severe weather alerts for the Chicago area can be found below. Check here for the latest alerts for your area.
Many people were urged to seek shelter immediately after a storm that spawned multiple tornadoes swept through the Chicago area Monday night, prompting watches, warnings and hazardous conditions.
According to the National Weather Service, a “radar confirmed” tornado was reported near Sugar Grove and was heading toward the Aurora area as of 9 p.m. Soon after, another outbreak was confirmed near Oswego and east into Plainfield and south Naperville.
Numerous other tornadoes were reported as the storm continued.
“This storm is producing multiple tornadoes simultaneously,” the National Weather Service reported.
Here are the latest severe weather warnings for the Chicago area:
- Tornado warning until 10:15 p.m.: Kankakee County, eastern Illinois.
- Tornado warning until 10:45 p.m.: Newton, Lake, Porter and Jasper counties in northwest Indiana.
- Tornado watch until 1 a.m. Central Time: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry, and Will counties in Illinois; Indiana Jasper County, Lake County, LaPorte County, Newton County, Porter County in the state.
- Severe thunderstorm warning until 10:15 p.m.: Will, Kankakee, Lake, DuPage and Cook counties in Illinois.
- A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect until 10:45 p.m.: Newton County, Porter County, Lake County, Jasper County in northwest Indiana.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is on a ground standstill as all flights to the airport are grounded until about 10:30 p.m. “due to the tornado.” The train stopped running.
Thousands of outages were also reported in the area as of 9:45 p.m.
Just before the warning was issued, the National Weather Service warned that a “damaging storm group” was moving into northwestern Illinois.
“There are multiple ways to receive warnings tonight, so be prepared to seek shelter if a warning is received in your area,” the agency posted on X.
The Chicago area has been upgraded to a moderate risk for severe weather as the threat of damaging storms intensifies ahead of the system's arrival.
Moderate risk is level four out of five. Previously, the region had been at an “enhanced” risk, level three out of five.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said, “Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop tonight across parts of the Midwest, the central High Plains, the lower Great Lakes and Arizona. The greatest potential for strong gusty winds is from eastern Iowa to Illinois and Indiana. state.
Winds may reach 85 mph, with widespread gusts in excess of 60 mph expected.
The National Weather Service said strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to move into the area late Monday afternoon and continue into the evening.
“Destructive winds are expected to be the main severe hazard, but isolated large hail and some tornadoes are also possible,” the National Weather Service said in an alert. “Heavy downpours may cause flash flooding.”
“Tornadoes are likely to emerge along and near the apex of the developing bow,” the report added.
The storm is expected to sweep through far western Illinois around 4 p.m. and reach western Chicago-area counties between 6 and 8 p.m.
“Storms are definitely going to have serious impacts, like what we saw last night,” said Alicia Roman, Storm Team 5 meteorologist.
Strong to severe storms are expected in Chicago between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., with most of the storm moving into northwest Indiana by 10 p.m.
Roman said they are expected to dissipate overnight and end around 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.
A heat warning was also issued on Monday, with “hazardous” levels of heat and humidity expected, particularly in the west and southwest, where “feeling” highs could reach 105 to 100 degrees.
The warning was scheduled to expire at 7 p.m. Monday, NWS reported.
