Kankakee Tornado: Tornado Warning and watch expand as severe storms move through Tuesday evening (ET)
The kankakee tornado threat intensified Tuesday evening (ET) as the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for Kankakee County while a wider Tornado Watch covered parts of the Chicago area and northwest Indiana.
What Happens When Kankakee Tornado warnings overlap with severe thunderstorm alerts?
Storm impacts were unfolding across multiple counties at once, with tornado and hail hazards highlighted in successive alerts. The National Weather Service stated it was reporting a large tornado on the ground headed for Aroma Park, alongside a Tornado Warning for Kankakee County that described a destructive storm with softball-sized hail. The same warning referenced strong rotation toward the Aroma Park area, including the far south side of Kankakee and the Kankakee Airport, with residents urged to take shelter.
At the same time, severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in and around the region. Kankakee County—including Kankakee, Bourbonnais and Bradley—was placed under a severe thunderstorm warning through the evening window described in the alerts, with apple-sized hail noted as possible. Additional severe thunderstorm warnings were also active for Cook County, including Chicago, and DuPage County, with hail risk described within the warning language.
What If the watch area widens across the Chicago region into northwest Indiana?
Beyond Kankakee County, a broader Tornado Watch was in effect Tuesday evening (ET) for parts of the Chicago area and northwest Indiana as storms were expected to move in late afternoon and continue into early Wednesday. The National Weather Service also issued a severe thunderstorm watch for all of northern Illinois, including the Chicago area and northwest Indiana, through the overnight period described in the watch.
Reports and warning details emphasized hail sizes spanning a wide range across multiple locations. The National Weather Service said it received reports of large hail ranging from golf balls to tennis balls in Woodridge, Downers Grove, Darien and Westmont. Other warnings referenced storms capable of producing baseball-sized hail in parts of Livingston County, along with additional severe thunderstorm warnings covering parts of Kankakee and Iroquois counties with tennis ball-sized hail referenced in the alert language.
What Happens When severe weather disrupts air travel during the evening commute?
Severe weather also affected airport operations. O’Hare Airport was placed under a ground stop until 7: 15 p. m. CDT due to thunderstorms, and Midway Airport had a ground stop until 6: 30 p. m. CDT due to severe weather in the area. These operational impacts unfolded while multiple warnings and watches were active across the metro area and nearby counties.
Elsewhere in the region, the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for Livingston County during the same event window, noting a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado near Pontiac moving east at 30 mph, with people in Pontiac, Odell and Cullom advised to seek shelter immediately. The clustering of alerts underscored how quickly conditions were changing across county lines as storms moved through Tuesday evening into early Wednesday (ET).
