A powerful outbreak of severe weather swept across northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana on Tuesday night, spawning multiple tornadoes that killed at least 2 people, injured others, destroyed homes and businesses, and left tens of thousands without power. Rescue and recovery operations were still underway Wednesday as officials urged the public to stay out of the hardest-hit areas.
The storm system produced several intense supercell thunderstorms, at least one of which was responsible for 4 separate tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service office in Chicago. Meteorologists said crews were still working Wednesday to confirm the full number and strength of the tornadoes that touched down, and that parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio remained under a tornado watch.
Elderly couple killed in Lake Village, Indiana
The deadliest toll from Tuesday’s storms fell on Lake Village, a small community in Newton County in northwestern Indiana, roughly 60 miles southeast of Chicago. An elderly couple was killed when a tornado struck their home, Newton County Coroner Scott McCord confirmed. Their names had not been released as of Wednesday.
The destruction in Lake Village extended well beyond the couple’s home. At least 70 utility poles were knocked down across the area, leaving many roads impassable. Crews worked through the night and into Wednesday to rescue residents who had become trapped in damaged structures, and Newton County officials reported that search and rescue operations were continuing.
Newton County Sheriff Shannon Cothran urged the public not to enter the area, delivering the message directly in a video update recorded Tuesday night in front of a destroyed home. As of Wednesday morning, no additional serious injuries had been reported, though officials emphasized that the situation remained active.
Laurie Postma, a spokesperson for the Lake Township Volunteer Fire Department, said fewer than 10 people in Lake Village were injured in the storm.
Residents describe sheltering as the tornado hit
For those in Lake Village when the storm struck, the experience was disorienting and terrifying. David Ferris, a local paramedic, said he and his wife took shelter in their downstairs bathtub with their dogs and came through unharmed, though they lost power. Ferris then spent time helping to rescue and treat injured neighbors, including one man who crawled out of a destroyed structure struggling to breathe after being covered in insulation.
Ferris also confirmed that a Family Dollar store and a gas station in the community were destroyed, and that multiple large trees had been uprooted throughout the area.
Jennifer Telford, 49, sheltered in her basement during the storm and said she never heard the tornado itself, only the hail striking her roof. She also noted that the warning siren inside Lake Village did not activate, though sirens outside of town did a gap in the alert system that could have dangerous implications.
By Wednesday morning, approximately 4,300 customers in Lake Village and surrounding communities remained without power, down from a peak of more than 11,000 during the storm, according to the Northern Indiana Public Service Co.
Kankakee hit by tornado and record breaking hail
About 25 miles west of Lake Village, Kankakee County, Illinois, took a significant hit of its own. At least 1 tornado touched down near the Kankakee fairgrounds before tracking northeast into the small suburb of Aroma Park, where it caused extensive structural damage, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office. Nine people in the county suffered minor injuries, officials said at a Wednesday news conference.
The tornado shattered windows, tore off roofs and smashed vehicles throughout Kankakee, leaving wood planks and other debris scattered across yards, streets and parking lots. The storms also produced exceptionally large hail, with stones ranging from 3 to 5 inches in diameter reported across the area. One hailstone measuring 6 inches in diameter may have set a new Illinois state record, the National Weather Service said.
Newlywed Cassidy Sinwelski, 23, said she and her husband had been expecting an ordinary storm until he spotted dark clouds approaching rapidly. The couple retreated to their bathroom with a piece of plywood, and within minutes the lights flickered and the tornado passed over them. She described hearing loud rumbles and the sound of shattering glass in the moments that followed.
A 50 year old garden center faces its worst spring
Among the businesses hit hardest in Kankakee was Tholens Garden Center on the city’s south side. Owner Nancy Tholen said multiple buildings on the property were destroyed by the tornado, which struck just after her staff had left for the day. No employees were hurt, but the timing at the start of what should be the garden center’s busiest season was devastating. Tholen said the business makes the majority of its annual revenue in a 12 week spring window and that the team would need to find a way to open despite the destruction.
In neighboring Aroma Park, restaurateur and village trustee Kathleen Slavin watched the tornado’s damage unfold from the village hall, where a board meeting had been underway when the storm hit. She described enormous, century old trees being toppled and major power lines going down. Her friend Ruth Denoyer, 69, returned home afterward to find her garage destroyed, her pool damaged and windows throughout her house blown out though her roof remained intact, which she acknowledged made her among the more fortunate in the neighborhood.
Part of a larger pattern of Midwest storm violence
Tuesday’s tornadoes are the latest in a stretch of deadly severe weather across the Midwest. Suspected tornadoes the previous week killed 4 people in southwestern Michigan and 2 more in eastern Oklahoma, adding to a grim tally of storm related fatalities across the region in recent weeks.
Meteorologists are continuing to assess the scope of Tuesday’s outbreak, and additional tornado confirmations are expected as survey crews complete their work in the affected areas. For communities like Lake Village and Kankakee that are now focused on cleanup and recovery, the priority is restoring power, clearing roads and ensuring that no residents remain unaccounted for in the wreckage.
