Northern Illinois sees two tornadoes touch down, Chicago bracing for storms (live updates)

After some warm weather this week, Friday brought some dangerous weather to the Northern Illinois and Chicago area. Storms moved through Iowa and then into Illinois where the intensity picked up.

Most of the Northern Illinois and Chicagoland area had severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado watches and even multiple tornadoes througout the afternoon and into Friday evening. The severe thunderstorm warning for the Chicago area is expired but the storms are now rolling into Notherwest Indiana where the warnings are lasting for a bit longer.

Northern Illinois hit with tornadoes

The first tornadoes to touch down came in Lena, Illinois this afternoon as a devastating tornado hit the city around 4:45 p.m. CT. Storm chasers caught the dangerous cell moving through Lena which is just off Bypass 20 in Illinois heading to Galena and Iowa.

Minutes ago, Storm Chaser Vince Waelti (@VinceWaelti) captured this footage of an approaching tornado-warned storm near Lena, Illinois! #ILwx @cyclonePORT pic.twitter.com/8tA2zdDxtZ

— RadarOmega (@RadarOmega) April 17, 2026

The Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office advised people to avoid going to Lena at all costs via CBS News:

“There is no way to get into town due to trees and wires down,” the post said. “Emergency Services are assisting people per Sheriff Stovall.”

The sheriff’s office said no deaths or serious injuries have been reported from the tornado.

“We are extremely fortunate that this storm did not result in loss of life or serious injury,” Sheriff Steve Stovall said in a statement. “Our focus remains on ensuring the safety of our residents, securing the affected areas, and supporting the Village of Lena as recovery efforts move forward.”

Then, a few hours later, another tornado hit just north of Rockford as the massive storm system continued to push through Northern Illinois.

Storm chaser Reed Timmer and his crew tracked it down:

THE MOST INSANE #TORNADO INTERCEPT ever in the Dominator 3 north of Rockford, Illinois#Dominator #stormchasing pic.twitter.com/4OFI1NraX2

— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) April 17, 2026

Chicago hit with storms as well

The Chicagoland area was hit with storms for most of the night, beginning around 6 p.m. CST. Strong storm systems moved through Chicagoland, impacting residents north, west and south of the city.

There were no confirmed tornadoes but wind, hail and lighting pushed through. Rain will continue through the evening in the Chicago area. But the good news is that storms don’t appear to be severe.

The latest from the National Weather Service:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL ALLOW TORNADO WATCH 131 TO EXPIRE AT 11 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN ILLINOIS THIS ALLOWS TO EXPIRE 6 COUNTIES:

IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS

FORD and IROQUOIS.
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IN NORTHEAST ILLINOIS

COOK, DUPAGE, KANKAKEE, WILL.
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THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF: BOLINGBROOK, BOURBONNAIS,
CAROL STREAM, CHICAGO, DOWNERS GROVE, EVANSTON, GIBSON CITY,
GILMAN, JOLIET, KANKAKEE, LEMONT, LOMBARD, NAPERVILLE, OAK LAWN,
ORLAND PARK, PARK FOREST, PAXTON, SCHAUMBURG, WATSEKA, WHEATON,
AND WILMINGTON.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/northern-illinois-sees-two-tornadoes-touch-down-chicago-bracing-for-storms-live-updates/