17 tornadoes confirmed across Illinois and Indiana, including two EF3s

At least 17, including two rated EF3, struck parts of Illinois and Indiana on June 11, 2026. The storms injured at least seven people, severely damaged 44 homes in Streator, caused minor damage to 35 others, and damaged at least 200 buildings in Merrillville.

Multiple tornadoes touched down across northern and central Illinois and northwestern Indiana through the afternoon and evening of June 11.

Seven tornadoes were initially confirmed by the NWS office in Chicago, Illinois, within its forecast area. These include two EF3 tornadoes, one EF2, three EF1s, and one EF0 tornado.

A destructive EF3 that struck Streator injured at least seven people, according to a press release by the City of Streator. The twister severely damaged 44 homes, while 35 homes sustained minor damage. Meanwhile, the second EF3 was confirmed in Kouts, Indiana.

An EF2 tornado struck Merrillville, with the town reporting that at least 200 buildings sustained some sort of damage due to the severe weather on June 11.

Andrean High School also suffered extensive damage. Town Council President Rick Bella declared a local state of emergency to aid in the relief efforts.

Three EF1 tornadoes were confirmed near Wenona and Osage Township, from Graymont to Dwight, and in Bartlett, Illinois, while an EF0 tornado occurred in St. John, Indiana.

The NWS said that all ratings are preliminary and surveys are still ongoing. The tornadoes were part of a larger severe weather outbreak that affected much of the Midwest, leaving thousands without power on June 11.

Update

07:07 UTC, June 15

The NWS office in Chicago has expanded its preliminary tornado count from seven to at least 17 across northern and central Illinois and northwest Indiana on June 14. Confirmed tornadoes include two EF-3 tornadoes: one in Streator, Illinois, and another from Hebron to Kouts, Indiana.

Two EF-2 tornadoes were also confirmed. One tracked from Merrillville to Hobart, Indiana, while the other moved from Hickory Hills to Midway Airport in Illinois.

EF-1 tornadoes were confirmed near Wenona/Osage Township, Graymont to Dwight, Bartlett, Paxton/Loda, Ludlow, and Boswell. An additional EF-1 tornado was confirmed from Gibson City to Elliott, Illinois.
EF-0 tornadoes were confirmed from St. John to Schererville, Cedar Lake, Schneider to Hebron, and Naperville to Lisle. At least two additional EF-0 tornadoes occurred along a corridor from Watseka, Illinois, to west of Rensselaer, Indiana.

All ratings remain preliminary, with damage assessments for several tornadoes still underway.

In addition to the tornadoes, destructive straight-line winds caused damage across parts of the Chicago metropolitan area and locations south of the Kankakee River. Training thunderstorms also produced heavy rainfall and localized flooding, particularly in far northern Illinois.

References:

¹ June 11, 2026: Tornado Outbreak, Including Multiple Strong Tornadoes Across Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana – NWS – June 12, 2026

Feature image credit: Scott Peake

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.

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