5 Tornadoes Now Confirmed In IL Tuesday: National Weather Service

Five tornadoes have now been confirmed to have hit Illinois Tuesday, ranging from an EF-0 to an EF-2, the National Weather Service reported.

Surveying crews completed an additional day of damage assessment Wednesday, the NWS said.

Tornadoes confirmed include:

• Oswego: EF-00
• Wilmington: EF-1 (peak winds around 90 mph)
• Mokena to Tinley Park: EF-1 (peak winds around 95 mph)
• Orland Park to Munster: EF-1
• Monee to St. John: EF-2 (peak winds around 115 mph)

In addition, widespread destructive straight-line wind damage occurred throughout southern Cook, eastern Will, much of Lake (IN), Porter, and northern Newton and Jasper counties.

Indications are that peak winds were likely near 100 mph across parts of southern Cook, eastern Will, and into Lake and Porter counties, NWS said.

Cleanup Efforts Ongoing

Massive cleanup is underway across many towns impacted by the severe weather. Damage is widespread, with downed trees and power lines, flooded roads, roofs torn off buildings, and other effects left in its wake.

In Tinley Park, concert venue Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre sustained heavy damage to its roof, with repairs underway Wednesday. Aerial footage showed large sections of the roof peeled back, with debris also scattered across the venue, CBS 2 Chicago reported.

Concerts for this weekend are expected to take place as scheduled, staff said on social media.

Across Tinley Park, public works crews Wednesday morning were vigilantly responding to nearly 1,200 reports of downed trees and branches. The Tinley Park Fire Department Tuesday night responded to 22 power lines down, seven natural gas leaks, four reported structure fires, and three unstable structures, none with any major injuries, officials said.

In Orland Park, a tornado ripped off part of the roof at Midwest Animal Hospital. The hospital—which also offers boarding and daycare services—said all animals were safe in kennels during the severe weather, and none were injured.

"Our care team immediately followed our safety protocols to ensure every animal remained safe and secure throughout the storm," staff updated customers on social media.

"Our roof and daycare facility sustained significant damage during the storm and will require extensive repairs.

Emergency and urgent care services were not affected, but daycare services are, they said. Roof repairs began immediately Tuesday as soon as cleared by the building inspector.

"We are incredibly grateful that all of our staff and all of the pets in our care are safe," staff wrote. "We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work quickly to clean up and repair our daycare facility. Thank you for trusting us with your pets...."

Homewood was again hit by an EF-1 for the second time in less than a month, as were Flossmoor, Glenwood and Thornton.

Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson authorized an emergency local disaster declaration in response to the tornado's impact on the town. This declaration allowed the Village to activate its emergency operations plan and request assistance from outside agencies, such as the Cook County Department of Emergency Management, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The storm caused power outages throughout 96 percent of the Village, roadway hazards, debris and other conditions that affected the health, safety and welfare of Flossmoor’s residents.

In neighboring Homewood, Mayor Rich Hofeld also issued an emergency disaster declaration, to activate the Village's emergency operations plan and to authorize assistance from outside agencies.

Fire and police there have been responding to approximately five times their normal daily call volume, officials said, with public works crews working tirelessly to clear major roadways and address hazards that threaten public safety. The American Red Cross contacted Homewood officials and is asking residents who need assistance to call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to open a case file.

Power was knocked out for an estimated 420,000 ComEd customers during Tuesday's severe weather, and power remains out for an estimated 104,000 customers still impacted as of 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to a ComEd outage map.

Utility officials estimate that roughly 80 percent of all affected customers will have power restored by noon on Thursday, Aug. 13, with 99 percent restored by late Friday night, Aug. 14.