Tornado Leaves Some Areas Devastated
CALEDONIA, Ill. (CBS) - Some areas are devastated Tuesday morning, after a tornado ripped a path through parts of northern Illinois.
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The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down near Argyle Road and Harlem and Paulson roads Monday afternoon, just west of Caledonia and close to the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90).
The tornado destroyed the Caledonia township hall, left numerous homes and garages partially collapsed, and ripped a grain silo open, leaving it leaking grain onto the street. A large barn was completely demolished, a large power substation was damaged, and high-tension power lines were torn down.
A complete damage list could not be compiled Monday night because the whole town was in darkness from a power failure, North Boone fire Chief Gale Worley said.
Penny Kolb of Caledonia was in the thick of it. She told CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman that she was in her closet, saying, "Dear God, don't let that (ceiling) come down on me," when the twister hit.
Her home is in one of the big debris pockets. Still, she considers herself lucky. Normally, she is sleeping during the day, but Monday she was awake and able to react.
"I saw a lot of swirling out my window," Kolb said.
When she re-emerged she found broken windows. Part of her upper floor was ripped away.
CBS 2 viewer Thomas Berry witnessed the tornado and says, "I was sitting at work and my girlfriend called me and said there was a tornado outside, I got up and looked outside and there was a single tornado running through town. I was pretty weird to see, I've never seen anything like it."
The tornado also left a school bus driver and five children to the hospital when if flipped over a school bus in Loves Park.
The children all attended a middle school in Rockford. Four of the five children complained of minor back pain as they were being helped out of the bus, but Winnebago County Deputy Chief Sheriff Don Gasparini said none of their injuries appeared major.
The students were taken to local hospitals, Rockford Public School District spokesman Mark Bonne said. Bonne declined to say which schools the students attended, but he said the bus was bound for Caledonia.
Tornadoes also caused damage in southern Wisconsin. CBS affiliate WDJT-TV in Milwaukee reports that a tornado struck in Walworth County, forcing authorities to close some roads.
Another hit in the Union Grove area in Racine County, and some semi-trailer trucks were reportedly blown over, WDJT reported. Some parts of Interstate 94 had to be closed due to debris.
While the actual tornado was a fair distance away from the Chicago area, tornado warnings were issued for several closer counties. A tornado warning was issued for McHenry County after a twister was spotted north of Harvard headed toward Hebron and Richmond, according to the Northwest Herald.
Warning sirens were reportedly heard in some other suburban areas, including Naperville.
Tornado warnings were also issued in Kenosha and Racine counties in Wisconsin.
While temperatures climbed well into the 60s and conditions were muggy Monday, don't expect any such thing for the rest of the week.
As of just before 6 a.m. Tuesday, the temperature in Chicago was a mere 31 degrees, and the coming days will serve as a reminder that winter is soon to arrive.
CBS 2 Meteorologist Megan Glaros says the forecast high for Tuesday is a only 36 degrees, and overnight, it will drop to 28. Conditions warm up on Wednesday when the high climbs to 43, but as you dine on turkey Thursday, snow showers are expected.
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