Tornado From Kendall To Will County Confirmed By NWS

PLAINFIELD, IL — The National Weather Service confirmed 11 tornadoes in northern Illinois, including one that made its way from Kendall County into Will County.

According to its Facebook post, an EF1 tornado with peak winds of 105 mph, path length of 14.5 miles and max width of 250 yards, started on the south side of Yorkville and moved southeastward into the far south side of Plainfield. Damaging winds of 70 to 80 mph continued into Crest Hill and Joliet.

An EF1 tornado is the second weakest tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph. The damage from this is usually said to be moderate.

Tornado warnings were issued for much of the Chicago area on Monday, with wind gusts of 80 mph, hail the size of a quarter and downed trees and power lines were reported as the severe weather passed through northern Illinois.

The weather service has been researching and surveying the area over the past few days to determine if storm damage from Monday’s violent derecho was from straight line winds or tornadoes, the Joliet Weather Center said in a social media post. As of Wednesday morning, seven tornadoes were confirmed with four additional ones by the evening.

According to the weather service's website, the tornado started on the far south side of Yorkville near Walsh Drive, where a pergola was destroyed, siding was ripped off a house and parts of a tree and a fence were thrown over a roadway.

Eyewitness accounts indicate the debris was lifted and twirled, consistent with a tornado. The tornado then progressed east-southeast, producing damage to trees along State Route 126 toward Schlapp Road near Oswego. The most significant damage was found east of Schlapp Road along Wheeler road, where trees were mangled, a farm building was destroyed with debris deposited in a nearby field, and a large grain bin was bent inward.

Wood panels were thrown into the ground, leaving scour marks in the grass. Six power poles were snapped along Ridge Road, and a 1,000 to 1,500 pound auger was moved about 50 feet farther southeast.

This is where the tornado likely reached peak intensity with winds of 105 mph. The tornado continued southeast into neighborhoods south of Renwick Road in Plainfield, producing mainly tree damage, and ended just before I-55. A swath of damaging winds consistent with speeds of 70 to 80 mph continued into Crest Hill producing prolific tree damage.

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