Earlville, Plainfield, Romeoville hit by EF-1 tornadoes, NWS says
EARLVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- The National Weather Service now reports 5 tornadoes touched down in the Chicago area as powerful storms moved through Monday night.
NWS said EF-1 tornadoes landed late Monday near Earlville, about 80 miles southwest of Chicago; near Romeoville and Plainfield in Will County; near Lisbon in rural Kendall County; and two tornadoes were near Grant Park in Kankakee County.
Severe straight-line winds were recorded near Morris in Grundy County.
Earlier, the National Weather Service ruled the damage in Earlville, 35 miles southwest of Aurora, was caused by straight-line winds. But after seeing video from Chopper7 HD, NWS changed their evaluation and determined that an EF-1 tornado briefly touched down southwest of Earlville and moved into the community along a 1.5 mile path.
PHOTOS: Earlville storm damage
"We made it. By rights. You've seen it, we shouldn't be here," said Patricia Scudder, Earlville homeowner.
Earlville residents Patricia Scudder and her brother Jim Wolsfeld spoke to Eyewitness News as they stood in what used to be their living room. They were watching television there when the storms barreled through. Officials say all told about 30 homes sustained some form of damage.
"Nobody was hurt that's all that counts. Nobody in town was hurt. We have a pretty tight community so everybody has been here. I got people from 40 miles away to come help today so it's all good," said Terry Richards, Earlville homeowner.
Tornado damages trees, homes in Plainfield, Romeoville
Another EF-1 tornado was confirmed by the NWS in northeast Plainfield and northwest Romeoville. Over 50 trees, including many large softwood trees, were uprooted within a concentrated path, NWS said. A dozen trees were blown to the northwest, against the eastward path of the storm. Numerous roads were also blocked because of fallen trees.
NWS reported minor damage to numerous residences in the Woodlands of the Reserve and Lakewood Falls subdivisions, including siding and shingles peeled off and windows blown out.
The tornado crossed Interstate 55 near mile marker 261, NWS said.
This tornado was embedded within straight-line wind damage that continued into Lockport and further east-southeast based on reports, NWS said.
Trees, power lines downed by storms in Morris
There is plenty of damage elsewhere, too. Much of it is in the south and southwest suburbs, like Morris, which is southwest of Joliet. Many trees were ripped up by the roots.
NWS surveyors have determined the damage in Morris was due to 80-90 mph straight-line winds. Many Morris neighborhoods were without power and picking up lots of debris.
Severe weather took down an old tree next to Scott Kerr's home in Morris. On Tuesday around 10 p.m., he says he heard a loud crack and watched as the tree came down, hitting a power line across the street, which caused a fire in a patch of grass. The wind was whipping, the rain was pouring down and Kerr said he worried for his life.
"It scared me to death, and then I seen the fire. The fire is what caused me to be concerned, and we started to gather some stuff up in case we had to evacuate," he said.
The severe weather caused widespread power outages in the area. At the height of the storm, fire officials say 85-90 percent of Morris did not have power. Fortunately, no one was injured in any of Morris' homes or businesses.
