8 tornados spawned from severe storms
CHICAGO — Illinois officials and residents began assessing damage Thursday after eight tornadoes damaged rural communities in the northern part of the state amid powerful storms that swept across the Upper Midwest.
The National Weather Service said an EF2 tornado with estimated top wind speeds of 115-125 mph cut a path more than 11 miles long and about four football fields wide into the city of Pontiac on Wednesday night. Officials said at least seven people were injured in that tornado.
An EF2 tornado with top wind speeds of 116 mph cut an 8-mile path from Marseilles to Seneca. Weaker tornadoes struck Cissna Park, Ottawa, Troy Grove, West Brooklyn, Mazon and a rural area 5 miles northwest of Ottawa. No injuries resulted from those storms.
“We are fortunate things are not worse and are thankful there were no fatalities,” Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said in a Thursday morning statement.
In the Pontiac area, about two dozen homes ere damaged, according to Pontiac Fire Chief Scott Runyon.
“Most of the residential reports ranged from minor shingle damage and tree damage, to pretty extensive window repair and holes, but trees did most of the damage to the residential homes,” Runyon said during a news conference, The Daily Leader newspaper in Pontiac reported.
“Some of the commercial buildings were reporting relatively minor damage, but the majority of the reports are fairly severe. It’s going to take a great deal of money to get these repaired,” Runyon said.
The storm system produced dime-sized hail in some areas, and its high winds snapped trees, blew roofs off buildings and downed power lines. The weather service reported winds from 80 mph to 100 mph in some parts of northern Indiana.
A strong band of thunderstorms forced a two-hour delay in the Copa America semifinal at Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears.
Fans also were told to take shelter at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, before their game resumed after a 70-minute delay.
