Numerous Tornadoes Hit Suburbs, Knocked Over Church Steeple in Wheaton: Officials

The National Weather Service has confirmed that multiple tornadoes touched down and caused damage in several Chicago suburbs during Monday’s derecho that slammed into the area.  

The series of at least six tornadoes hammered Chicago’s north and west suburbs on Monday, packing wind gusts in excess of 90-to-100 miles per hour and causing damage throughout the region.

At 3:05 p.m., an EF-1 tornado with peak wind gusts of 95 miles per hour touched down on Harmony Road, just southwest of Interstate 90 in Marengo. The tornado traveled to the northeast before lifting near Dunham Road between Marengo and Union, according to the service.

Damage was mostly limited to trees and farm buildings.

A very brief tornado touched down in suburban Wheaton at approximately 3:35 p.m. The tornado, classified as an EF-1, knocked the steeple off of College Church before producing minor tree damage before lifting back into the skies.

Just five minutes later, another tornado touched down in Lombard. That tornado, generated from the same storm cell that hit Wheaton, dropped just to the east of Interstate 355, producing damage along its path. Several trees were snapped in half, and home damage was reported with the storm.

The worst tornado damage was reported around Lombard Common, just south of St. Charles Road, with substantial roof damage and tree damage reported.

Earlier in the day, an EF-1 tornado touched down in Machesney Park in Winnebago County at approximately 2:47 p.m. The tornado packed wind gusts in excess of 100 miles per hour, and caused significant tree damage near Rock Valley College.

That same cell also produced a tornado that touched down in Rockford, traveling just one mile before lifting into the sky. The tornado packed wind speeds of 75 miles per hour, and caused damage to trees along a path from the intersection of Pierpont Avenue and Montague Road to the intersection of Ferguson and Loomis Streets, according to authorities.

Earlier Tuesday, another tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, just the sixth confirmed tornado touchdown in the city in the last 70 years. A tornado also caused damage in northern Lake County before crossing into Kenosha County in Wisconsin, according to NWS researchers.

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