NWS confirms 25 tornadoes in the Chicago area on July 14 and 15

Strong thunderstorms that wreaked havoc across the Chicago area on July 14 and 15, 2024, spawned at least 25 tornadoes, left one person dead, and over 430 000 customers without power.

A derecho tracked through northern Illinois and northwest Indiana during the evening of Monday, July 15, producing widespread straight-line wind damage and numerous embedded tornadoes.

The southwestern suburbs felt the most severe impact, where numerous tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS).

An EF-2 tornado with wind speeds exceeding 177 km/h (110 mph) caused substantial damage from Channahon to Matteson. Multiple EF-1 tornadoes, with winds up to 161 km/h (100 mph), were reported across various neighborhoods, including Joliet, Elwood, and West Town in Chicago.

The storms caused one fatality in Cedar Lake, Indiana, where a confirmed EF-1 tornado caused a tree branch to fall on a house, killing a 44-year-old woman.

As of the evening (LT) of July 17, a total of 19 tornadoes have been confirmed in the NWS Chicago forecast area from the derecho event. The confirmed tornadoes include:

• EF-2 from Channahon to Matteson
• EF-1 from Yorkville to Naperville
• EF-1 on Chicago’s Near West Side to the Loop
• EF-1 from Chicago Lawn to West Englewood
• EF-1 from Cedar Lake to Crown Point
• EF-0 in Justice
• EF-0 from Crest Hill to Lockport
• EF-0 in southern Winnebago County
• EF-0 in Byron
• EF-0 in Davis Junction
• EF-0 from Sugar Grove to North Aurora

Two additional EF-0 tornadoes were confirmed in Chicago on July 14, making it a rare occurrence of multiple tornadoes touching down within the city limits on consecutive days.

In total, NWS confirmed 25 tornadoes on July 14 and 15 but the number is still expected to rise. Surveys and damage investigation are ongoing and will take several days to weeks to complete.

ComEd has deployed over 3 000 utility workers to restore power to more than 430 000 customers, receiving additional support from more than 1 000 workers from other utilities, including 300 from Canada.

The utility company aims to restore 99% of power by July 19. However, many areas, including Thornton and Lynwood, faced prolonged outages, with over 90% of Thornton residents still without power as of July 17.

Crews have been working around the clock to clear downed trees and repair damaged power lines. Public works teams are busy removing fallen branches and debris, particularly in areas like Broadview, where a large section of an apartment building’s roof blew off, damaging several vehicles.

The storms also caused significant disruptions to transportation and infrastructure. Downed trees and power lines led to the closure of Interstate 55 between U.S. 6 and River Road in Channahon.

The closure affected logistics and trucking operations, with numerous semis overturned and high-tension power lines down across the roadway.

Flooding at the University Park Metra station resulted in its temporary a closure.

References:

¹ Thousands without power in Chicago area after storms spawn at least 25 tornadoes in 2 days – ABC7 -July 18, 2024

²20 tornadoes, including an EF-2, now confirmed during Monday’s storms – DH – July 17, 2024

³ Woman dead after at least 11 tornadoes, including 2 in city, hit Chicago region Monday night – ABC7 – July 17, 2024

⁴ Derecho Produces Widespread Wind Damage and Numerous Tornadoes – Weather.gov– July 15, 2024

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

• Rishav Kothari

  SPC issues Enhanced Risk for severe thunderstorms across portions of the Central Plains
• Rishav Kothari

  One dead as flooding from Arthur’s remnants damages dams, forces evacuations, Mississippi
• Rishav Kothari

  40-year solar record reveals solar-cycle changes beneath the Sun’s surface
• Rishav Kothari

  1 injured as tornadoes rip through central Illinois, emergency declaration issued in Charleston