Storms began moving in late Monday morning, with quarter-sized hail reported in some suburbs, such as Clarendon Hills, and potentially baseball-sized hail in Bolingbrook
Residents in south suburban Lansing spent much of Monday cleaning up after severe weather tore through neighborhoods, damaging homes, displacing families, and leaving some residents grateful to have survived.
Among them was Deniz Sidkey, who said he was inside his home when sirens sounded, and powerful winds swept through the area.
"I heard the sound of the tree snapping, and then all of a sudden my windows busted out in the back. Then all the stuff started falling from the kitchen," Sidkey said. "I'm lucky to be alive."
The storm damaged his home, ripped off part of the roof, and left him trapped inside, he said.
As conditions calmed, neighbor Tiffany Fliszar-Rivera said she and others immediately began checking on residents.
"I just started going to the houses and screaming. And the lady was out in her bathrobe saying, 'Can you help get my husband? He's trapped,'" Fliszar-Rivera said.
Fliszar-Rivera, her husband, and another neighbor worked to get Sidkey out of the home.
"We just were crawling inside the house to try to get them through the house. And he's struggling because he's in pain and he's hurting," she said.
Sidkey said the rescue was something he won't forget.
"It was unbelievable," he said. "We could not open the front or back door, so we were stuck."
The damage extended beyond Sidkey's block.
Ruby Galvin said she woke up after weather alerts sounded on her phone and heard her parents calling from downstairs.
Moments later, part of the roof collapsed onto her mother.
"The roof panel fell on my mom. So, she has three cuts on her forehead," Galvin said.
Galvin said she feared her mother as the storm unfolded.
"I was scared for my mom," she said.
Her mother is expected to recover.
Throughout the neighborhood, residents spent the day clearing debris, assessing damage and salvaging what they could from homes left damaged by the storm.
Lansing Mayor Brian Hardy said he was grateful the destruction did not result in serious injuries.
"I grew up in this neighborhood. I've been in Lansing almost 60 years. I've never seen any kind of devastation like this," Hardy said.
"It breaks my heart. But again, I'm going to have to just go back to thank the Lord that no one was seriously hurt."
Even as residents confronted extensive damage, many pointed to the support they received from neighbors in the storm's aftermath.
"I have a home to call home tonight. My neighbors don't," Fliszar-Rivera said. "Whatever we need to do now is our time to be a family."
Hardy said the American Red Cross is assisting displaced families. He also said Lansing police will maintain an overnight presence in the affected area as residents begin what is expected to be a lengthy cleanup and recovery process.
South suburbs hit hard as wind peels bricks from apartment complex
Strong storms rip bricks from south suburban apartment complex
A powerful storm also caused extensive damage across other south suburban communities, toppling trees, damaging more homes, and knocking down infrastructure.
At an apartment complex in Hazel Crest, strong winds peeled bricks from buildings, leaving significant damage. Similar scenes were visible throughout the village, with debris scattered block after block.
Residents described the scope of the destruction as overwhelming.
"It's like some huge dinosaur just stomped on everything. It's incredible," Hazel Crest resident Sandra Forde said.
The storm toppled trees throughout the area, splitting some in half, and damaged homes. In Hazel Crest, a tornado siren was also knocked down.
For Aaliyah McPhearson and Shewond Gibbs, the storm brought frightening moments as they sheltered with their two children inside the laundry room of their condominium building. They sought refuge there as the storm tore the roof off their building and others in the complex.
"My kids were terrified, shaking, screaming, like it's unbelievable what turned up right here," McPhearson said.
"Man, it's very insane, man. I never seen nothing like this. This is like ran me over Hurricane Katrina, you know what I'm saying? It's just wild," Gibbs said.
The storm also brought hail, powerful winds and heavy rain to nearby communities, including Tinley Park.
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In Markham, resident Dave Bishop said he had just arrived home and taken shelter in his pickup truck as the storm struck.
"My car started spinning around. I was holding the brakes and trying my hardest to keep it still, and it was, I watched everything just flying past," Bishop said.
Another Markham resident, Earline Payne, expressed gratitude after the storm passed.
"Thank God that we're still here. That's the blessing right there. We're still here," Payne said.
The storm's winds ripped the aluminum roof from a warehouse in Markham and sent debris into neighboring yards.
"It's an act of nature, and it's a horrible thing that can happen to anybody at any time. Your life can change," Hazel Crest resident Vickie Reitz said.
Hazel Crest officials urged residents to stay home while crews work to clear fallen trees and downed power lines. Officials said the Red Cross is assisting residents who have been displaced by the storm.
And in Monee, part of the roof came off a fire station. All fire department personnel are OK.
Contractor missing, another rescued in storm sewer in Downers Grove
Storms also hit the west suburbs, where one contractor is missing in a storm sewer and another has been rescued on Monday.
Downers Grove police were flagged down at about 12:50 p.m. in the 800-block of Curtiss Street.
Two contractors became trapped while cleaning the sewers for the city when strong storms brought heavy rain to the area.
Downers Grove fire crews rescued one of the contractors around 200 feet from where they entered the sewer. That contractor was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital and is in good condition.
But another contractor remained trapped as of 8:30 p.m. The Village of Downers Grove said the fire department is now conducting a recovery operation rather than a rescue operation.
A mobile incident command post remained lit up and staffed late Monday night, but the village said water conditions are making the search "extremely dangerous, and the search will resume when conditions improve.
Throughout the afternoon, a wide radius of streets closed off as part of the search. Sources told ABC7 that rescuers were going through 8-foot diameter pipes that run beneath the streets and in the wooded areas behind neighboring residential areas.
Officials did not immediately provide further information.
Storms knock out power, impact travel and transit across area
Thousands are without power in the area.
Track power outages in your area with the ABC7 Chicago Power Outage Tracker
The village of Burr Ridge offices are closed Monday due to a power outage.
Hail pounds Westmont, Illinois - July 27, 2026
Orland Park police asked residents to stay inside amid traffic lights out, trees and wires down and flooding.
Severe weather brings hail, torrential rain in Tinley Park, Illinois
Meanwhile, Ground Stops at O'Hare and Midway airports have been lifted.
There were about 960 flights canceled at O'Hare as of 8 p.m. About 100 flights were canceled at Midway.
Delays were about 1 hour at O'Hare and about 45 minutes at Midway.
Large hail spotted in west suburbs amid tornado warning
The CTA Purple and Yellow Line trains have resumed service, after debris caused issues earlier Monday.
Nearly every Metra line is also affected by the weather.
On Chicago's Northwest Side, a large tree fell on a school bus near Keeler Avenue and the Kennedy Expressway. The bus' front windows were damaged.
Illinois State Police troopers were notified just before 1 p.m. They said no injuries were reported.
On Interstate 80, power lines fell over the east and westbound lanes of traffic due to high winds at Kedzie Avenue in Hazel Crest.
A truck hauling nitrogen is stuck, Illinois State Police said. No injuries have been reported.
Traffic was being diverted at Interstate 57 and Interstate 294.
In Little Village, cars were getting stuck in flooded streets Monday.
Cars stuck after driving through flooded streets in Little Village
At one point, a suburban man said the water was up to the window of his black Lexus sedan near California Avenue and 31st Street. He said he thought he could make it. His brother spoke for him.
"He just couldn't move his car like off now; I think the engine is broken because of water. The water was tough on his window," Ousame Sidi said.
Melissa Mosqueda was getting a ride to work from her boyfriend, and even in their Jeep their engine was steaming after getting through the viaduct.
"It's really bad right now; the weather is crazy. The traffic, all the bridges are full of water," Melissa Mosqueda said.
Wheaton officials also said crews were responding to localized flooding and fallen trees.
Possible 5-inch hail reported in Lemont area
Wilmette officials said storms have downed trees there as well.
Tornado touches down in Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in Winnebago County, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
The twister was moving over Lake Winnebago and moving southward toward Fond du Lac County around 12:25 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
Images posted to social media showed extensive damage in Appleton, including homes stripped of roofs and siding, cars flipped over and streets littered with tree limbs.
In Menasha, the electric utility said the entire city of about 18,000 people is believed to be without power because of a downed transmission line.
Active weather alerts
There is a Flood Warning for the Little Calumet River at Munster until 1 p.m. Tuesday.
There is a Flood Warning for Cook County and Lake County, Indiana until 1 p.m. Tuesday.
A Beach Hazards statement is in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday at Lake Michigan beaches.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.