Chicago weather: Storms topple trees, power lines across area; NWS confirms 3 tornadoes (2024)

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The National Weather Service said there were three tornadoes Sunday night, as strong storms whipped through the Chicago area.

NWS survey teams determined an EF-0 tornado occurred in the Elburn area, and two EF-0 tornado paths have been found on the South Side of Chicago.

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There were wind gusts of at least 70 mph reported.

The storms Sunday night left widespread damage across the Chicago area.

Chainsaws were busy removing massive tree branches from crushed trees and homes in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood.

"My wife and my daughter were crying all night," said Victor Reyes, whose car was damaged by the storm. "It's sad."

Neighbors said the storm ripped through hard and fast.

"We heard a major wind rush and the house just started shaking," Diana and Juan Flores said. "The window opened, the door. The side window just opened. And then the house started shaking, and all of a sudden it was just pitch black this whole side of the block."

The power was knocked out on Wellington Avenue off of Cicero Avenue about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. ComEd crews are working to restore it.

Reyes heard a loud bang amongst the heavy wind gusts and rain and knew his car had fallen victim.

"I came into the street, and I saw this. And, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, it's done. It's crushed? It's crushed," Reyes said.

Large limbs ripped from nearby trees fell onto multiple cars and at least two homes, while families were sleeping inside.

Siding, awnings and windows were damaged.

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"I've never had anything fall on my car before," Reyes said. "It's sad. It's sad. How do I do what I need to do today, tomorrow?"

Neighbors said they just had a block party on Saturday, and everyone was outside enjoying themselves. And then, this happened the next night.

"So when this happened, it was a matter of five minutes before everybody came out and made sure everybody was OK," Diana Flores said.

"At least we're OK; the people are OK. That's what counts," Juan Flores said.

Nearby, in Chicago's Montclare neighborhood, a tree was uprooted from the soil before crashing to the ground, leaving vehicles smashed under its immense weight.

"The neighborhood looks like a nightmare right now," Montclare resident Pedro Lopez said. "So many cars were destroyed. It was like that tree, that tree."

Fellow Montclare resident Pablo Madrigal's car was destroyed.

"Then I see this one break. Then I was like, 'Aw, man, there goes my car," he said.

Some vehicles were unrecognizable.

"This used to be my car," Montclare resident Elizabeth Herrera said. "The wind picked up, and next thing you know there's a tree in my front yard and on top of my car."

Large trees littered the Montclare street.

"I've been reporting that tree for four, three years to the city because I thought it was a dead tree," Lopez said. "No AC -- I think all the food we had in the fridge is bad."

Police and crews are out now at different locations, blocking cars from driving down some city streets to prevent any dangerous situations or driving over any downed power lines.

Trees had also fallen onto numerous cars in the Austin neighborhood, with heavy limbs crashing into windshields.

At Midway airport, high winds pushed a Southwest aircraft into a jetbridge. No customers were onboard.

Chopper 7 flew above a building with roof damage and debris scattered on the street near 68th Street and Rhodes Avenue. CTA has rerouted buses around the area.

In the suburbs, a Joliet museum is cleaning up the damage from the weekend storms.

The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 is drying out.

It's a big job.

There are fans going everywhere, attempting to dry the flooded floors and walls.

The outside of the building was worse.

The storm overnight Saturday blew off part of the roof from a neighboring building a block away, onto the street in front of the museum. It also created a hole in the roof of the museum building.

It's not good, but CEO Ron Romero is counting his blessings.

"The good thing is the building is built like a tank. It's strong, with concrete and rebar," Romero said.

The museum was the brainchild of Romero nearly a decade ago. It's a work in progress.

But he's grateful the huge guitar, nicknamed "Gigantar," they recently mounted outside the entrance was undamaged by the storm. They said none of their one-of-a-kind museum pieces were damaged.

"None of the artifacts were touched. The damage was all outside," Romero said.

The museum is not for profit, and while insurance covers much of the cleanup, they will be closed for several weeks.

That means no money coming in, while the bills continue.

The weekend storms created high winds that were responsible for ripping the roof off of the building in Joliet. And they dumped a tremendous amount of water on many suburban towns.

In Naperville the lower Riverwalk is closed Monday. It's better suited for swimming than walking right now, but it could be worse.

"This area has great infrastructure. The river is encroaching, but we're still having a steady flow at Blue Sushi," Gracie Klingbeil said.

Dana Jacobson came to snap a couple pictures, so she could memorialize the Riverwalk underwater.

"It's pretty high 'cause you can't see any of the walkways around the river," Jacobson said.

More severe weather is expected Monday night.

"We're not sure what the next step is. Hopefully, it's not as bad as what he had last night," Herrera said.

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