Dangerous storm system brings 10 tornadoes at once to Chicago area

CHICAGO (CBS) — Tornadoes, dangerous straightline winds, and other hazards are rocking the Chicago area for a second night in a row Monday, in what could be one of the most significant severe storm systems the area has seen in years.

A large tornado is on the ground at O'Hare International Airport at O'Hare International Airport and moving eastward, according to the National Weather Service. A strong tornado was also spotted in Crestwood.

A tornado has also been spotted on the ground near Midway International Airport, and was headed for Summit and Bedford Park. A tornado was also confirmed in Will County, and another was believed to headed near O'Hare International Airport.

Earlier, twin tornadoes were confirmed—one in Sugar Grove, the other in Oswego. The Sugar Grove tornado was headed for Aurora, Warrenville, and Naperville, the Oswego tornado for Plainfield and Romeoville.

The National Weather Service staff themselves went into shelter in their offices in Romeoville. They said they had a flurry of tornado warnings and too many circulations to keep track of.  

A tornado warning was in effect until 10 p.m. for the entirety of the city of Chicago and Cook County. A total of 10 tornadoes have been spotted on a squall line headed for the city of Chicago.

All of Will, southeastern Kendall, and northeastern Grundy counties, and southern Lake, northern DuPage, and northern Cook counties, were also under a tornado warning until 10 p.m. A tornado warning was also issued until 10:15 p.m. for Lake County, Indiana.

Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana are also under a tornado warning until 10:45 p.m.

Tornado warnings have been issued throughout the evening Monday for numerous other Chicago area counties throughout Northern Illinois. 

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Cook, DuPage, and Lake counties until 10:15 p.m. Severe thunderstorm warnings were also issued throughout the area.

A flash flood warning is in effect for Cook, DuPage, and northern Will counties until 12:30 a.m. Doppler radar and automated rain gauges earlier estimated the storms would soon bring rain falling at a rate of 1 inch per hour.

A tornado watch has been issued for the entire CBS Chicago viewing area until 1 a.m. Until 11 p.m., a complex of severe storms, similar to what the area has been subjected to the last two nights, are expected to blast through the area.  

Tens of thousands of ComEd customers across northern Illinois also lost power as a result of the storms. There were reports of 46,000 customers without power as of 9:50 p.m.

A ground stop has been issued at Midway and O'Hare international airports.

Tornado safety warning

If a Tornado Warning is issued or tornado sirens sound, head to your basement or the lowest floor of your building. You are safest in an interior room away from outside walls and windows.

The straightline winds from the thunderstorms Monday night, even outside of tornadoes, will be capable of uprooting trees and causing damage.

Meanwhile, due to the threat of storms and flooding, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District also issued an alert urging people to delay taking showers, flush the toilet less frequently, and wait to run the dishwasher or the clothes washing machine.

The reason is a concern about a possible combined sewer overflow—which happened twice on the West and South sides last summer. In such a scenario, too much rain goes into the storm drains, fills up the tunnels beneath the city, and ends up being ejected into the Chicago River or even Lake Michigan while mixed with sewage.

The flash flood threat for Monday night is at a moderate level—the second highest out of four.

Because of the storms, a classic rock concert at Wrigley Field started earlier than planned due to the storms. The concert featuring the Steve Miller Band, Journey, and Def Leppard had been set to being at 5:30 p.m., but will now begin an hour earlier at 4:30 p.m.

The Steve Miller Band took the stage at 4:30 p.m., Journey at 5:30 p.m., and Def Leppard at 7:15 p.m.

Monday night will make the third night of storms for Chicago area, and severe weather already hit hard Sunday night.

The NWS has confirmed three tornadoes touched down in the Chicago area Sunday night—two on the city's South Side and one in Elburn. They all had an EF rating of 0. Elburn was back under a tornado warning less than 24 hours later Monday night.

A cool front will blow through the area on Tuesday, quieting the weather pattern for the rest of the week and into the weekend.

At last, we will enjoy cooler temperatures and sunny skies. The threat of tornadoes is similar to the one that led to an outbreak of twisters in February.