The National Weather Service confirmed that at least three tornadoes touched down across the Chicago area during the destructive derecho on Tuesday. Damage surveys identified EF-1 level tornadoes in eastern Will County near Monee and Crete, southern Cook County between Orland Park and Flossmoor, and the Minooka area in northeast Will County.
The severe weather system brought wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour, causing widespread impact across the region. Two of the confirmed tornadoes moved into Lake County, Indiana, specifically affecting the communities of St. John and Munster.
Cleanup efforts continue as power companies report hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity. ComEd estimates roughly 250,000 customers in northern Illinois lack power, while NIPSCO reports more than 300,000 outages in northwest Indiana. Local officials in affected cities including Orland Park, Homewood, and Tinley Park have activated emergency response teams to address downed power lines and structural damage.
Public safety measures were enacted during the height of the storm, with high-rise buildings in downtown Chicago directing occupants to shelter and visitors at Navy Pier forced to take cover in parking structures. The city of Portage, Indiana, remains under a local emergency proclamation after experiencing what officials described as catastrophic damage.