At Least 1 Tornado Strikes Kankakee Area, Tennis Ball-Size Hail West Of Chicago

KANKAKEE, IL — At least one tornado blew through the Kankakee area Tuesday evening, leaving a path of destruction in its wake, footage circulating on social media showed later that night.

The city of Kankakee reported as of around 8:30 p.m. that there were only minor injuries to its residents and all fires were under control. Kankakee County and city officials activated an emergency operations center Tuesday night and filed an emergency declaration with the state.

Conditions had escalated earlier in the evening, and the National Weather Service warned at 6:26 p.m. that a large tornado was on the ground headed for Aroma Park. At 6:52 p.m., it reported the rotation had intensified again and a large tornado was on the ground on the north side of Hopkins Park.

“We cannot stress this enough - everyone in Kankakee, Bourbonnais, Bradley area - this is a destructive, potentially life-threatening storm with hail up to softball size!” the weather service warned about 15 minutes before reporting the Aroma Park tornado. “Take shelter in a sturdy building away from windows immediately!”

Footage from the scenes circulating on social media showed downed trees and damaged structures.

One confirmed tornado touched down south of Kankakee near the Kankakee Fairgrounds, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office.

"The tornado appears to have continued northeast, where it eventually crossed the Kankakee River into Aroma Park, where extensive damage is being reported," the sheriff's office said in a news release around 8 p.m. "Sheriff's deputies and other emergency personnel continue to check for injuries and assess the damage."

The sheriff's office urged people to limit travel as much as possible due to trees and other debris on roadways, as well as downed power lines.

"Additionally, our 911 Center (KanComm) is being overwhelmed with emergency calls coming in," the news release said. "Please refrain from calling 911 for non-emergency related inquiries in hopes of freeing up the lines (for) those in need with actual emergencies."

Drivers were asked to avoid all roadways south of Kankakee and heading into Aroma Park, according to a social media post from the city of Kankakee. Route 45/52 was closed from River Road to Exit 308 of Interstate 57 due to downed power lines, storm damage and fires.

"The City is aware of down wires in several alleys and working to barricade those areas until service can occur," the city said in the post. "Additionally, several streets are flooded at the intersections. The City advises that all people remain in their homes and avoid all roadways in the City Of Kankakee until further notice."

The Kankakee area was under a tornado watch until 11 p.m.

Tuesday’s tornado activity followed multiple reports of golf ball- to tennis ball-sized hail in the areas of Woodridge, Downers Grove, Darien and Westmont.