A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the morning hours of October 26th. Three tornadoes were reported along with damaging winds.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.
A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the morning hours of October 26th. Three tornadoes were reported along with damaging winds.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 26, 2:50 AM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
503 AM CDT TUE OCT 26 2010
ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-019-
271015-
WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE ILLINOIS-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-
DUPAGE-COOK-LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON-
IROQUOIS-FORD-LAKE INDIANA-PORTER-NEWTON-JASPER-BENTON-
503 AM CDT TUE OCT 26 2010 /603 AM EDT TUE OCT 26 2010/
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED:
THUNDERSTORMS:
DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.
BRIEF TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS.
OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.
AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO.
AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING:
THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA THROUGH 11 AM.
DISCUSSION:
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED EARLY THIS MORNING AHEAD
OF THE COLD FRONT WHICH STRETCHED FROM EASTERN IOWA SOUTH
THROUGH EASTERN MISSOURI. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS RAPIDLY
SLIDING EAST NORTHEAST ACROSS WESTERN ILLINOIS...AND EXPECTED TO
PUSH THROUGH NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA BY 11 AM
THIS MORNING. GIVEN THE INTENSITY OF THE STORM SYSTEM...EXTREMELY
POWERFUL WINDS ALOFT AND UNSEASONABLY WARM AIRMASS...THE
POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR THIS LINE OF STORMS TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS.
WHILE NOT HIGH...THERE IS EVEN A THREAT FOR A TORNADO OR TWO
WITH THESE STORMS.
IN THE WAKE OF THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...STRONG AND LOCALLY
DAMAGING WINDS WILL GUST AT TIMES BETWEEN 45 AND 60 MPH TODAY
THROUGH THIS EVENING.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
WINDS COULD GUST UP TO 50 MPH AGAIN WEDNESDAY.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTERS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS MORNING.
&&
COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO
WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO
LMZ740>745-271015-
WINTHROP HARBOR TO WILMETTE HARBOR-
WILMETTE HARBOR TO NORTHERLY ISLAND-
NORTHERLY ISLAND TO CALUMET HARBOR-CALUMET HARBOR TO GARY-
GARY TO BURNS HARBOR-BURNS HARBOR TO MICHIGAN CITY-
503 AM CDT TUE OCT 26 2010
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ILLINOIS NEARSHORE
WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE INDIANA NEARSHORE WATERS OF LAKE
MICHIGAN.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
GALE FORCE WINDS INCREASE TO STORM FORCE WINDS THIS MORNING.
STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 KNOTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS
EVENING.
THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE NOON WITH SOME
POSSIBLY SEVERE PRODUCING WIND GUSTS OVER 50 KNOTS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
GALE FORCE WINDS ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
&&
COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO
WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO
LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-868-
870-872-874-876-878-271015-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM MICHIGAN CITY IN TO ST. JOSEPH MI 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SEUL CHOIX POINT TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN SOUTH OF A LINE FROM SEUL CHOIX POINT TO THE
MACKINAC BRIDGE AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CHARLEVOIX MI TO SOUTH
FOX ISLAND 5 NM OFFSHORE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM CHARLEVOIX TO POINT BETSIE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM POINT BETSIE TO MANISTEE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE TO STURGEON BAY WI-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM STURGEON BAY TO TWO RIVERS WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM TWO RIVERS TO SHEBOYGAN WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON WI 5 NM OFFSHORE
TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHT WI 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM NORTH POINT LIGHT TO WIND POINT WI 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WIND POINT WI TO WINTHROP HARBOR IL 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WINTHROP HARBOR TO WILMETTE HARBOR IL 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WILMETTE HARBOR IL TO MICHIGAN CITY IN 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID
LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID
LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID
LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID
LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM ST. JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
503 AM CDT TUE OCT 26 2010
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE OPEN WATERS OF LAKE
MICHIGAN.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
GALE FORCE WINDS INCREASE TO STORM FORCE WINDS THIS MORNING.
STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 KNOTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS
EVENING.
THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE NOON WITH SOME
POSSIBLY SEVERE PRODUCING WIND GUSTS OVER 50 KNOTS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH
GALE FORCE WINDS PERSISTING INTO THURSDAY.
&&
COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO
WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO
BEACHLERSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
448 AM CDT TUE OCT 26 2010
ILZ008-010-261015-
LEE IL-OGLE IL- 448 AM CDT TUE OCT 26 2010
...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...
AT 446 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF
POLO TO POLO TO 16 MILES WEST OF WALTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...HARMON AROUND 455 AM...WALTON...
SUBLETTE...AND NELSON AROUND 500 AM...POLO...AND FORRESTON AROUND 505
AM...FRANKLIN GROVE AND DIXON AROUND 510 AM.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL BRANCHES TO BE BLOWN DOWN...AND LOOSE
OBJECTS TO BLOW AROUND. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL
THESE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
LAT...LON 4220 8969 4220 8946 4194 8897 4158 8922
4159 8964 4193 8964 4194 8969
RODRIGUEZ/MDBThe Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:14 UTC.
14 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 3 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
One large tree was blown down about 5 miles north northeast of Forreston, near the Stephenson County border.
A tornado touched down near Meridian Road southeast of Ashton. The damage path was convergent and narrow. Some of the damage included a couple of outbuildings with poor structural integrity and a few that had their roofs ripped off. The top of a metal silo was 'punched' in and a grain cart was flipped onto its side. In addition to the structural damage, numerous 2x4's were speared into the ground and metal siding was strewn into the fields to the northeast of the farm.
A few trees and wires were blown down in an unincorporated part of Winnebago County near Rockford.
Thunderstorm winds caused damage to a hog confinement building. The roof was lifted off and the underlying wood structure was ripped out and deposited in a field. Winds were estimated at 75 to 80 mph.
The tornado that was northwest of Elburn touched down in a corn field about one mile north of Route 38, west of Francis Road. The tornado closely followed Francis Road and was on the ground for about of a mile. At the max width, the tornado was about 20 yards wide. The path touched three farmsteads and one home. The first farmstead that was affected sustained high end EF0 damage. An old garage and a small barn were leveled on the property, the roof was damaged on another building, and the trees on the property also sustained damage. There were several tree branches down around the property, and the trunk of a healthy pine tree was completely snapped. The second farmstead affected was located about a half mile up Francis Road. A temporary storage structure on the property was not constructed with any sort of wood or metal covering, but a heavy duty tarp-like material, heavily secured to the metal skeleton. The tarp was torn away from most of the metal structure, but still remained attached at one end. Several other buildings on the property, which were permanent, remained undamaged. The third and final farmstead affected was the most heavily affected area along the tornado's path. The farmstead was located about a quarter mile up Francis Road. Two large barns and one grain bin were completely destroyed on this property, and a telephone pole was completely snapped at the base.
Damage occurred on Keslinger Road about a half mile east of Francis Road. There were five utility poles down with several power lines broken and lying in the street. Additionally, about twenty feet west of the intersection, there was also some damage to the power lines, but no poles down or lines broken. The orientation of the fallen poles was consistent with the lean of several areas of brush along the road and tree branches of a nearby tree, and were indicative of southerly straight line winds associated with a microburst.
Tree limbs and power lines were blown down.
Winds were estimated at 55-60 MPH by a retired NWS employee.
Three planes were flipped over and damaged.
Several south lobby windows of the Nicor office on Ferry Road were blown in.
A funnel cloud was sighted near 3250 North and 1100 East Roads.
Tree limbs were blocking the road near the intersection of Fairfield Road and Hawthorne Drive.
Wires and large tree limbs were blown down across roads.
A 41 year old woman was eastbound on Grand Avenue near Deep Lake Road when a tree limb blew down, crashed through her windshield, and impaled her abdomen. She was hospitalized.
A funnel cloud was sighted near St. Anne.
A tornado touched down about 4 miles east of Peotone. The tornado produced its most intense damage along South Will Center Road, about halfway between Corning Road and Peotone-Beacher Road, removing a house's roof, collapsing exterior walls on the second floor of the house, and completely destroying a garage and three other outbuildings. Two teenage boys were injured in the house. Four power poles were also downed just northeast of the area along Peotone-Beecher Road. Additional EF1 and EF0 damage was found along a path running southwest toward Kennedy Road. This damage consisted of collapsed outbuildings, snapped cedar trees, and damage to homes. One home on Corning Road was pushed off its foundation and the chimney collapsed.
Several tree limbs were blown down throughout the area. Large limbs were down on power lines on the 600 block of Whitney Avenue.
Multiple large tree branches, 6 to 8 inches in diameter, were blown down south of 155th Street between Wood Street and Halstead Ave.
A funnel cloud was sighted on the Illinois side of the state line, just west of St. John, Indiana.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2010Warnings in Illinois, October 2010
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 265399, 259463, 265400, 265412, 259461, 265401, 265402, 265405, 265410, 265403, 265413, 265411, 265404, 265407, 265408, 265414, 265258, 265409, 265406, 265415.