Tornado Hit Plainfield, Romeoville With Winds Up To 85 MPH

PLAINFIELD, IL — An EF-0 tornado with winds up to 85 mph hit Plainfield Sunday night, the National Weather Service in Chicago reported Monday afternoon. The tornado traveled about 3.2 miles southeast to Romeoville's Mistwood Golf Club before dissipating.

Most of the damage was contained to the eastern part of Plainfield, near Route 59 and south of Route 126, according to officials. Two homes were structurally damaged after branches fell on them, Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis said. Some trees also fell on a few cars, but no one was hurt.

Plainfield Fire Chief Jon Stratton said there was a smoking outlet in one home off Meadow Lane, which he said is the result of a possible lightning strike. Another home had its windows broken due to fallen trees.

By the time the tornado made it to Mistwood, it had lost much of its earlier steam. Dawn Caldwell, Romeoville's village manager, said only some trees fell at the golf club. When the village touched base with them, "it seemed like a strong storm to them. We were very fortunate," she said.

The golf club lost a total of 10 trees on the course and the team was able to remove them off cart paths, according to Media Marketing Manager Benjamin Hutchison.

Related: Tornado That Hit Woodridge, Naperville Had 140 MPH Winds

Both Stratton and Argoudelis said emergency sirens went off right away to give people ample warning of the storm.

There was also a lot of debris on the railroad tracks and the power was down in the area. All the train crossings were on battery-operated power, which can last up to 24 hours, Stratton said.

Argoudelis said the village's emergency management agency, PEMA, was "really on top of it." Stratton also said ComEd was quick to respond.

Related: Tornado Damage Devastates Woodridge, Naperville, Darien: Photos

"I was very impressed with the response and everyone involved in handling this situation," Argoudelis said. "It couldn’t have been handled in a better way."

An EF-3 tornado with winds up to 140 mph swept through DuPage County, hitting Woodridge, Naperville, Darien and Burr Ridge, on Sunday. The hardest hit were Woodrige and Naperville, where 11 people were hospitalized, 16 homes were destroyed and residents were "pulled from the rubble."

The last time a tornado hit the Plainfield area was Aug. 10, 2020. It was rated EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with wind peaks of 105 mph. The tornado traveled 14.5 miles and was among 11 to hit northern Illinois.

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