Tornadoes · United States · Illinois · 2026
Unrated tornado, Kankakee Airport to Ahern, Illinois, March 10, 2026
From Kankakee Airport to Ahern, this Unrated tornado ran 1.8 miles across Kankakee County on March 10, 2026, touching down at 6:51 PM CDT and reaching 80 yards wide. It killed nobody.
Preliminary. This is NWS LOT's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Hopkins Park. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unratedthis tornado
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The survey
- Rating, as surveyed
- Unrated, preliminary
- Date
- March 10, 2026
- Touchdown
- 6:51 PM CDT (23:51 UTC)
- Lifted
- 6:55 PM CDT (23:55 UTC)
- On the ground
- 4 minutes
- Path length
- 1.8 miles (2.8 km)
- Path width
- 80 yards (73 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Kankakee County
- Touchdown point
- 41.118, -87.620
- Lift-off point
- 41.116, -87.622
- Surveyed by
- NWS LOT
- The office's name for it
- Hopkins Park
- Survey last edited
- March 24, 2026
- Record number
- None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.
What the survey found
High-resolution satellite imagery depicted swirl marks across multiple fields in the general vicinity of Baseline, S 13000E, and N 13500E Roads in a counter-clockwise looping path. Based on radar imagery and swirl patterns, the tornado appeared to be an anticyclonic tornado that initially moved north, stalled, and then turned southward before ending just north of a residence on S 13000 E Road, less than 300 yards southwest of the start location. There is no known damage that was caused by the tornado.
Written by NWS LOT in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.
The damage survey
600 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LOT, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EFU. The highest wind the damage implies is 160 mph.
- Small section of roof on west end of motel building damaged. Multiple sections of shingles removed. Some debris blown at least 300 yards to the northeast. From Kankakee County drone imagery.
- Shipping containers blown into retention pond.
- West facing section of metal wall blown in.
- Also leaning/snapped power poles
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
What the Weather Service recorded
Scattered severe thunderstorms produced numerous tornadoes and large to giant hail as they moved across northern Illinois during the late afternoon and evening of March 10th. Included in the 9 total tornadoes in northeast Illinois that day is an EF-3 which tracked from the south side of Kankakee into Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana and devastated a portion of Aroma Park. There were two primary corridors of large hail; one extending from northern Will County into the city of Chicago, which produced hail upwards of 4.8 inches in diameter, and another from central Livingston County extending east across Kankakee County. Nearly a dozen individual reports of hail greater than 4 inches came out of this southernmost corridor, and a 6.6 inch hailstone found in Kankakee is pending as the new Illinois state record.
Two separate storm chaser videos showed a brief EF-U tornado occurring in a field near Kensington Avenue and S 1000W Road in Kankakee Township. Swirl patterns identified in a field from Gray Sky satellite imagery were used to approximate the start and end locations of the tornado. There is no known damage that was caused by the tornado.
Three separate storm chaser videos showed a brief EF-U tornado occurring in a field north of W 3500S Road and east of Illinois State Route 115. Swirl patterns noted in a field from Gray Sky satellite imagery were used to identify the start and end locations of the tornado. There is no known damage that was caused by the tornado.
A destructive EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 160 mph impacted portions of central and eastern Kankakee County before moving into northwest Indiana. The most notable damage caused by this tornado in Kankakee County occurred in the Aroma Park area. This tornado began just north of W 3000S Road southwest of Kankakee, IL, about one mile east of State Route 115. The tornado intensified while traveling east-northeastward into the far southern section of the city of Kankakee in the vicinity of Route 45, where concentrated higher end EF-1 tree damage and structural damage was observed. The tornado intensified further while moving across E 2500S Road, destroying a two-story home and several metal farm buildings, consistent with EF-3 caliber wind speeds. Concentrated extreme tree damage was noted, with numerous large hardwood trees snapped, stubbed, or uprooted despite lacking leaves, likely due to extensive debris lofting in the area.|After crossing I-57 and the Kankakee River, the tornado rapidly increased in size, producing a swath of significant damage in and near northern portions of Aroma Park. In this area, multiple homes were heavily damaged to an estimated EF-2 intensity. The tornado's peak width occurred here and was estimated to be approximately 1550 yards. Ground survey and aerial imagery suggests that the tornado further intensified as it tracked east-southeast before crossing the Kankakee River again. Within a narrow 150-200 yard wide section along S. Sandbar Road to the northeast of Aroma Park, three homes were completely destroyed, consistent with EF-3 caliber winds, and multiple others were heavily damaged and rendered uninhabitable. A heavy pickup truck parked in front of the garage of one of the destroyed homes was moved over 100 feet into a ditch next to the driveway, possibly being spun around the remnants of a small tree before reaching the ditch. In addition, on the other side of Sandbar Road, a crossover type SUV appeared to have been rolled onto the adjacent property and deposited onto a pile of debris just north of a heavily damaged residence. Along the swath of the most intense structural damage, concentrated extreme tree damage was noted, with numerous large hardwood trees snapped, stubbed, or uprooted despite lacking leaves, likely owing to extensive flying debris. Along Sandbar Road and through the Kankakee Elks Golf Course, the tornado's width was estimated at near 1500 yards. The tornado then continued generally east to east-northeast towards the Indiana state line, downing numerous additional trees, causing occasional structural damage, and flipping irrigation pivots as it moved just north of the communities of Wichert and Hopkins Park. The tornado continued on its destructive path into Newton County, Indiana where it caused additional EF-3 damage before eventually lifting west of De Motte in Jasper County. It was on the ground for over 35 miles and, at its peak, spanned a half mile in diameter. The storm destroyed numerous homes and resulted in around a dozen injuries and three fatalities: one in Aroma Park and the other two in Newton County, Indiana.
An EF-1 tornado that was a satellite to the impactful Aroma Park area EF-3 tornado formed northeast of Aroma Park. High-resolution satellite imagery, storm chaser video, and radar data all depicted a generally southward-moving satellite tornado. Storm chaser video looking southeast from IL-17 captured the development of the tornado, which initially moved southwestward for about 30 seconds before becoming obscured by rain. Clear swirl marks (including several loops) were evident in a field north of S. Sandbar Road in Gray Sky satellite imagery near the start of the tornado. As the tornado continued southward, it uprooted a grove of trees in the vicinity of S. Sandbar Road, consistent with wind speeds near 90 mph. Sporadic tree damage was noted in high-resolution satellite imagery south of the Kankakee River, just to the east of a subdivision on Bittersweet Drive, before the tornado dissipated.
Video shared on social media taken on S 8250E Road approximately three quarters of a mile south of IL-17 showed a ground circulation occurring in a field to the west, coincident with a brief circulation noted in radar imagery. Swirl patterns were also identified in Gray Sky satellite imagery where the tornado was observed. There is no known damage that was caused by the tornado.
Video taken from S 13000E Road south of E 1000S Road looking west showed a brief anticyclonic tornado occurring in a field. Video time stamp and location matches an area of anticyclonic rotation seen on radar imagery. There is no known damage that was caused by the tornado.
An anticyclonic satellite tornado occurred north of Hopkins Park. High-resolution satellite imagery depicted swirl marks across multiple fields in the general vicinity of Baseline, S 13000E, and N 13500E Roads in a counter-clockwise looping path. Based on radar imagery and swirl patterns, the tornado appeared to be a anticyclonic tornado that initially moved north, stalled, and then turned southward before ending just north of a residence on S 13000 E Road, less than 300 yards southwest of the start location. There is no known damage that was caused by the tornado.
The deaths
1 direct deaths are recorded for this tornado, each with what Storm Data knows of it.
| Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | M | Permanent Home | Direct |
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
35 minutes of warning. NWS LOT issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:16 UTC, 35 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 00:00 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:57 UTC and running to 04:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19:00 UTC | 06:29 UTC | Flood Watch | LOT |
| 20:57 UTC | 04:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | LOT |
| 22:19 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 23:02 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 23:09 UTC | 00:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 23:16 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 23:45 UTC | 00:16 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
| 23:55 UTC | 00:11 UTC | Tornado Warning | LOT |
| 03:21 UTC | 03:47 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:50 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Mar 10, 2:53 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Severe thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening, with the potential for very large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes (some strong).
- Potential for heavy rain and localized flash flooding this afternoon into Wednesday morning.
- Small potential for damaging winds continuing into Wednesday morning across our far south and east.
- Possible very strong winds (45+ mph) Thursday night/Friday.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 10, 2:53 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, IL
253 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Severe thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening,
with the potential for very large hail, damaging winds and
tornadoes (some strong).
- Potential for heavy rain and localized flash flooding this
afternoon into Wednesday morning.
- Small potential for damaging winds continuing into Wednesday
morning across our far south and east.
- Possible very strong winds (45+ mph) Thursday night/Friday.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 253 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
Through Wednesday...
Early this afternoon, an awfully sharp frontal boundary is
draped across the area from a roughly Pontiac to Kankakee to
Rensselaer line. North of the front, we find cool northerly
winds and temperatures in the 40s. Meanwhile across our south,
temperatures are in the middle and upper 70s with dewpoints into
the lower 60s. This front is tied to a broad center of low
pressure pushing into southwestern IA. On the eastern flank of
this wave, a shortwave low- to mid-level impulse is scooting
from western into northern IL which will act as the trigger for
our initial chances for severe weather today.
18Z RAOB from DVN depicts steep mid level lapse rates within
resident EML plume and a rather formidable capping inversion. an
18Z balloon from ILX shows recorded over 2,000 J/kg of weakly-
capped surface based CAPE. Latest SPC mesoanalysis depicts a
reservoir of MLCAPE over central and extending into northern IL
and CIN steadily decreasing. Since late this morning, there's
been a wide expansion of stratocumulus over central and north-
central IL beneath the capping inversion in the open warm
sector. And as of 2 PM, some congestus was noted west of the CWA
and regional radar shows showers have recently been pulsing
southeast of the Quad Cities.
A very close eye will be kept on the evolution of these
initial radar echoes southeast of the Quad Cities in the next
few hours, as they may develop into the first storms of the
day. Large scale forcing isn't great early on this afternoon,
but will be aided by the passing of this shortwave and soundings
from SPC mesoanalysis suggest the cap is becoming rather
fragile upstream and even weaker with eastward extent into our
southern CWA. All severe hazards would be possible with any
storms that develop along and south of the front early this
afternoon with over 2,000 J/kg of MLCAPE extending into our
south, 50 to 60 kt of effective shear, and long, veered low
level hodographs favoring supercell updrafts. Damaging winds and
large hail, while too favored closer to and south of the front,
will also be possible with any storms that develop and track
north of the boundary where the low levels will remain stable.
During the late afternoon into early evening, an expansive SSW
LLJ will strengthen considerably across IL and nose into
northern IL. This will bring a notable uptick in moist upglide
and large scale forcing around the area. As a result, convection
is anticipated to blossom over the area toward early evening
with the highest coverage of storms expected near and south of
the front. South of the front, the low-level wind profile will
become increasingly curved, which will drive up the strong
tornado potential. Modeled SRH is maximized south of the front
after 23Z. For these reasons, the late afternoon through early
evening period defines the window of highest concern from a
significant tornado perspective.
Damaging to destructive straight line winds will be moreso
favored with storms along and south of the front where a lack of
low level stability will make it far easier for such winds to
be drawn to the surface, but damaging winds are certainly a
concern with any storms around the area. The large hail threat
is active basically area-wide including with any storms that
track north of the front with substantial mid level shear and
instability overspreading the CWA. The biggest hail concerns are
too favored closer to the surface boundary, but extends north
across most of the Chicago metro area.
Storms will be capable of producing heavy to torrential
downpours and localized flash flooding may occur with any given
storm. Flooding concerns are highlighted on either side of the
front where we expect the overall highest storm coverage and see
the highest potential for training or regularly recurring
convection along the boundary. Basically all available
deterministic guidance resolves at least a county-wide swath of
1-2" QPF near or on either side of I-80 through the end of the
event. Accordingly, made the decision to hoist a Flood Watch for
areas near and north of I-80. Will need to keep a close eye on
storm evolution into tonight and continued convective chances
overnight to possibly consider an expansion into our southern
counties, but initial flooding concerns aren't quite as high
down in these parts, especially given the largely rural
landscape.
Taken altogether, any storm this afternoon an evening may
produce destructive hail larger than 2 inches in diameter,
damaging winds, flash flooding and, if close to the warm front,
strong tornadoes.
The elongated center of the surface low will stretch across the
area tonight with stable low level air immediately in its wake.
This should shunt the strong storm and heavy rain potential
after midnight to areas along and southeast of the low track,
which equates to areas south of I-80. However, occasional
showers and storms may very well continue across northern IL
through much of the overnight. The severe threat could linger
into the overnight across our southern counties where greatest
forcing and instability will be focused, but stabilizing low
level air and decreasing low level shear should have the tornado
threat winding down late evening into the overnight. Hail and
damaging winds would be the primary concern with continued
convection into the overnight down south, but showers and
largely sub-severe convection are expected.
A trailing wave will lift into northern IL very late tonight
into early Wednesday which will provide additional, likely
widespread showers for the better part of Wednesday while the
synoptic system and cold front make their way out of the region.
There's a signal for some wintry mix or snow showers to develop
across our north in the cold advection, but no accumulations or
wintry impacts are anticipated. Temperatures will be cooling
during the daytime tomorrow around much of the area in the wake
of the cold front with afternoon temperatures progged in the 30s
and 40s.
Doom
Wednesday night through Tuesday...
It looks like we'll get a bit of a break Wednesday night into
Thursday as high pressure shifts off to our south. Noting some
potential for fairly deep mixing Thursday afternoon and for RH
values to fall around or under 30 percent with breezy westerly
winds. Given the rain forecast over the next 24 hours, this
doesn't currently look like an elevated fire threat.
Thursday night into Friday, a robust surface low (mid 980s mb)
is forecast to track to our north, roughly across the Door
Peninsula and across northern lower Michigan. Noting a huge low-
level mass response in the guidance, with 850 mb winds near 70
knots advertised across the guidance suite. While some low cloud
cover and at least spotty light precipitation (rain) will be
possible, deeper-than-typical mixing during the late overnight
hours into Friday morning may yield a significant increase in
winds and gusts. Concerningly, latest GFS soundings show roughly
50 knot boundary layer mean winds during this time frame, with
even steeper lapse rates developing after daybreak Friday in the
cold advection regime. Have increased winds and gusts a bit
with this forecast package above the NBM-delivered values, but
suspect things remain notably underdone at this time. At this
time, can't rule out high wind warning type winds and gusts into
Friday morning given the latest model trends.
Winds will ease sharply Friday evening as high pressure again
builds across the region. There may be some additional precip
chances towards the Saturday night - Sunday morning timeframe
as mid-level frontogenesis intensifies in advance of the next
disturbance, although the latest guidance suggests most of this
activity may end up shifting largely north of the region.
Thereafter, global deterministic and ensemble guidance suggest
the potential for yet another robust surface low spinning up in
the general vicinity on Sunday and into Sunday night. A much
colder airmass bottled up to the north looks like it'll get
dislodged with this feature and surge across our area during
this timeframe. While model variability remains somewhat high at
this juncture, can't totally rule out old man winter making
another return to the region with some snow potential into early
Monday morning.
Carlaw
&&
.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 106 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
Aviation forecast concerns for the 18Z TAFs:
- IFR/LIFR ceilings through Wednesday morning, with occasional
IFR/MVFR vis in fog/rain. Improvement to MVFR Wednesday
afternoon.
- Period of TSRA mainly this evening. Low confidence in TS as
early as ~21Z, higher confidence after 00Z. A few strong to
severe storms possible with hail/wind. Greatest thunderstorm
potential shifts south/southeast of terminals after 06Z.
- Northeast winds 10-15 kt become north-northwest predawn
Wednesday and northwest around daybreak. Gusts 25+ kts by
afternoon.
Surface cold front has pushed south of the terminals as of
midday. Northeast winds and extensive IFR (LIFR at GYY) ceilings
behind the front will linger this afternoon, though may try to
briefly improve to lower-end MVFR. Some fog continues to reduce
vis at RFD and off the lake at GYY and will likely persist in
these locations. The frontal zone will become nearly stationary
along/just south of the I-80 corridor later this afternoon, and
is expected to become the focus for shower and thunderstorm
development into tonight. Various model guidance depicts
development of SHRA/TSRA as early as 21Z in the vicinity of the
terminals this afternoon, though confidence in coverage is
fairly low at this time and have elected to maintain prob30
mention in the 21Z-24Z period. Confidence increases in higher
coverage from 00Z on however, ahead of an approaching mid- level
disturbance and associated surface wave along the front. While
the highest probability of severe TS will generally be
along/south of the aforementioned stationary front (south of the
terminals), storms north of the boundary may still be capable
of producing isolated large hail and damaging winds. Current
high-res model trends indicate the greatest storm coverage
would shift south/southeast of the Chicago area after 05-06Z or
so. SHRA will likely continue in some fashion through daybreak
Wednesday (with a low by non-zero TS chance through perhaps
08-10Z).
Winds will shift northwest Wednesday morning as the surface low
pressure wave moves off to the east of the area and the cold
front begins to push off to the southeast. Speeds/gusts increase
by midday as low-level colder air spreads in, with gusts in the
25+ kt range during the afternoon. IFR cigs should gradually
rise to MVFR during this time, and while dry in the TAFs there
is a chance of some spotty lingering SHRA.
Ratzer
&&
.LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...Flood Watch through late tonight for ILZ012-ILZ013-ILZ019-
ILZ020-ILZ021-ILZ023-ILZ103-ILZ104-ILZ105-ILZ106-ILZ107-
ILZ108.
IN...Flood Watch through late tonight for INZ001-INZ002.
LM...Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM CDT Thursday for Winthrop
Harbor to Northerly Is. IL.
Small Craft Advisory from 10 AM Wednesday to 4 AM CDT Thursday
for Northerly Is. to Gary IN.
Dense Fog Advisory until 10 PM CDT this evening for the IN
nearshore waters.
Small Craft Advisory from 10 AM Wednesday to 10 AM CDT
Thursday for Gary to Burns Harbor IN-Burns Harbor to
Michigan City IN.
&&
Visit us at weather.gov/chicagoHazardous weather outlook, Mar 10, 3:01 PM CDT, 3 hours 50 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville IL
301 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
ILZ003>006-008-010>013-019>021-023-032-033-039-103>108-INZ001-002-
010-011-019-112015-
Winnebago-Boone-McHenry-Lake IL-Ogle-Lee-De Kalb-Kane-DuPage-
La Salle-Kendall-Grundy-Kankakee-Livingston-Iroquois-Ford-
Northern Cook-Central Cook-Southern Cook-Northern Will-
Southern Will-Eastern Will-Lake IN-Porter-Newton-Jasper-Benton-
301 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026 /401 PM EDT Tue Mar 10 2026/
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central
Illinois...northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.
.DAY ONE...Tonight.
Weather hazards expected...
Significant Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
Level 4 of 5 Tornado Risk mainly near/south of I-80.
Level 3 of 5 Large Hail Risk...up to 2 inches in diameter.
Level 2 of 5 Damaging Wind Risk...up to 70 mph.
Elevated Flooding Risk.
DISCUSSION...
Severe thunderstorms will develop late this afternoon through
this evening, as a surface front resides along or just south of
the Interstate 80 corridor. The threat for large damaging hail,
damaging winds, and strong tornadoes exists along and south of
this front. Meanwhile, areas north of the front have the threat
for large damaging hail and localized damaging winds. The severe
weather threat may continue through tonight, particularly south of
I-80.
Locally heavy rainfall will also accompany these storms through
early Wednesday morning, and this may lead to localized flash
flooding.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.
Wednesday morning...
Limited Thunderstorm Risk east of I-57 and south of I-80.
Thursday night and Friday...
Elevated Non Thunderstorm Wind Risk.
DISCUSSION...
A period of strong winds, potentially gusting over 45 mph, is
possible Thursday night into Friday.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Spotters will likely be needed this evening.
GENERAL STORM MOTION OF THE DAY:
Moving toward the east at 30 to 40 mph.
LMZ740>745-112015-
Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL-
Wilmette Harbor to Northerly Island IL-
Northerly Island to Calumet Harbor IL-
Calumet Harbor IL to Gary IN-Gary to Burns Harbor IN-
Burns Harbor to Michigan City IN-
301 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Illinois
nearshore waters of Lake Michigan and the Indiana nearshore
waters of Lake Michigan.
.DAY ONE...Tonight.
Weather hazards expected...
Hazardous conditions for small craft.
Significant Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
Thunderstorm Waterspout Risk
Level 2 of 5 Thunderstorm Wind Gust Risk...up to 50 knots.
Level 3 of 5 Hail Risk...up to 2 inches in diameter.
Elevated Fog Risk.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.
Wednesday...
Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Thursday night and Friday...
Gale force winds are possible.
Saturday through Monday...
Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
KJB
Visit us at www.weather.gov/chicagoIn the hours before
Local storm report, Mar 10, 6:32 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Chicago IL
632 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0616 PM Hail Forest Park 41.87N 87.81W
03/10/2026 M1.00 Inch Cook IL Public
Relayed via mping.
&&
WSLLocal storm report, Mar 10, 6:34 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Chicago IL
634 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0632 PM Hail Kankakee 41.12N 87.86W
03/10/2026 M3.00 Inch Kankakee IL Trained Spotter
3 inch diameter hail reported in Kankakee.
Relayed via amateur radio.
&&
WSLLocal storm report, Mar 10, 6:39 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Chicago IL
639 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0533 PM Hail 3 WSW Bolingbrook 41.69N 88.12W
03/10/2026 M2.50 Inch Will IL Public
Hail up to tennis ball size in western
Bolingbrook. Time estimated by radar.
&&
WSLLocal storm report, Mar 10, 6:41 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Chicago IL
641 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0620 PM Hail Humboldt Park - Chicago 41.89N 87.72W
03/10/2026 U1.00 Inch Cook IL Public
Public report of hail up to quarter size
near Humboldt Park in Chicago. Time
estimated by radar.
&&
WSLLocal storm report, Mar 10, 6:43 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Chicago IL
643 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0527 PM Hail 3 E Campus 41.02N 88.25W
03/10/2026 M3.00 Inch Livingston IL Public
Hail up to 3 inch diameter reported 3 miles
east of Campus. Relayed via social media.
Time estimated by radar.
&&
WSLLocal storm report, Mar 10, 6:49 PM CDT, 2 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Chicago IL
649 PM CDT Tue Mar 10 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0531 PM Hail 2 NE Campus 41.05N 88.28W
03/10/2026 M3.50 Inch Livingston IL Public
Public report of hail up to 3.5 inch
diameter near village of Cardiff northeast
of Campus. Time estimated by radar. Relayed
via social media.
&&
WSLThe air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Lincoln, IL (KILX), 12:00Z
11.9 hours before the tornado, 136 km from the path. March 10, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 551 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -175 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 971 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 16 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 101 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 75 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.0 K/km
Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z
0.1 hours after it, 136 km from the path. March 11, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2012 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -43 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2601 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1162 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 230 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 356 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.8
- Supercell composite
- 15.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 7.3 K/km
The surface observations
Kankakee (IKK), 20 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:55 UTC | 69.8 | 64.4 | 140° 8 kt | 1007.1 | ||
| 22:15 UTC | 70 | 64.4 | 140° 10 kt | 15 | 1007.1 | VCTS |
| 22:35 UTC | 69.4 | 65 | 130° 7 kt | 1006.8 | -TSRA | |
| 22:55 UTC | 68 | 65.5 | 110° 12 kt | 1005.8 | VCTSRA | |
| 23:15 UTC | 68 | 65.5 | 80° 32 kt | 37 | 1000.7 | TS |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:49 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:27 UTC | HAIL 3 | 3 E Campus | Livingston, IL | Hail up to 3 inch diameter reported 3 miles east of Campus. Relayed via social media. Time estimated by radar. |
| 22:27 UTC | HAIL 4.5 | Campus | Livingston, IL | Photo shows hail approximately 4.5 inches in diameter. Hail was collected from property near 2700 North Road and 3300 East Road in Campus. Other photo shows hail stone approximately 3.5 inches in diameter. Time estimated |
| 22:27 UTC | HAIL 5.5 | Campus | Livingston, IL | Photo relayed by broadcast media of a 5.5 inch diameter hailstone that occurred in Campus. |
| 22:29 UTC | HAIL 3 | Campus | Livingston, IL | 3 inch hail reported near Campus. Relayed via mping. Time estimated by radar. |
| 22:30 UTC | HAIL 2 | 2 N Campus | Livingston, IL | Relayed via mping. Time estimated by radar. |
| 22:31 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 2 Sw Herscher | Kankakee, IL | |
| 22:31 UTC | HAIL 3.5 | 2 Ne Campus | Livingston, IL | Public report of hail up to 3.5 inch diameter near village of Cardiff northeast of Campus. Time estimated by radar. Relayed via social media. |
| 22:32 UTC | HAIL 5 | 3 Ne Campus | Livingston, IL | |
| 22:34 UTC | HAIL 1 | 2 W Herscher | Kankakee, IL | Public report of quarter size hail between Buckingham and Herscher. Relayed via mping. |
| 22:34 UTC | HAIL 2.5 | 2 W Buckingham | Kankakee, IL | Report from mPING. |
| 22:34 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 1 S Reddick | Livingston, IL | Photo shows approximately baseball size hail near Riddick. Time estimated by radar. Relayed via social media. |
| 22:36 UTC | HAIL 5 | 2 Nnw Buckingham | Kankakee, IL | |
| 22:37 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 1 Nw Buckingham | Kankakee, IL | Relayed via mping. |
| 22:38 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 1 Ne Reddick | Kankakee, IL | Report from mPING. |
| 22:45 UTC | HAIL 1 | Bonfield | Kankakee, IL | Multiple trained spotter reports of quarter size hail in Bonfield. |
| 22:45 UTC | HAIL 3.5 | 2 N Buckingham | Kankakee, IL | Relayed via mping. |
| 22:48 UTC | HAIL 4 | 2 E Campus | Livingston, IL | Report from mPING: Grapefruit (4.00 in.). |
| 23:00 UTC | HAIL 2 | 1 Se Bonfield | Kankakee, IL | Relayed via amateur radio. |
| 23:10 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 3 N Irwin | Kankakee, IL | Photo shared to social media shows 4 inch diameter hail near Irwin. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:10 UTC | HAIL 3 | Bourbonnais | Kankakee, IL | Multiple public reports of hail in Bourbonnais. The largest hailstones were measured to be 3 inches in diameter. |
| 23:10 UTC | HAIL 4 | 3 N Irwin | Kankakee, IL | Corrects previous hail report from 3 N Irwin. Photo shared to social media shows 4 inch diameter hail near Irwin. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:11 UTC | HAIL 4.5 | 1 Nne Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | |
| 23:11 UTC | HAIL 4.5 | 1 W Bourbonnais | Kankakee, IL | Correction to date. Public report of hail up to Grapefruit size near Plum Creek Drive and Braemer Way in Bourbonnais. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:18 UTC | TORNADO | 3 W Kankakee Airport | Kankakee, IL | *** 2 FATAL *** A tornado begin just west of the Kankakee Airport and tracked 36.6 miles across Kankakee and Newton Counties before dissipating in far northwest Jasper County. This tornado has been rated an EF-3 with est |
| 23:20 UTC | HAIL 2 | Bradley | Kankakee, IL | Hail broke windows in Bradley. |
| 23:20 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 3 W Kankakee Airport | Kankakee, IL | Report from mPING. |
| 23:23 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nw Kankakee Airport | Kankakee, IL | Roof damaged near West Industrial Park Drive and Stuart Drive in Kankakee. Possible tornado. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:23 UTC | HAIL 5.2 | 3 Sw Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | Photo shared by storm chaser shows 5.2 inch diameter hail just southwest of Kankakee. |
| 23:24 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Nw Kankakee Airport | Kankakee, IL | Kankakee County EMA reports tornado touch down near I-57 and Justice Way. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:25 UTC | HAIL 4 | 2 Wsw Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | delayed report. |
| 23:27 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 2 S Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | Baseball size hail reported on the south side of Kankakee. Relayed via social media. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:27 UTC | HAIL 4.5 | 1 Nw Kankakee Airport | Kankakee, IL | Photo shared to social media shows approximately 4.5 inch diameter hail on the south side of Kankakee. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:27 UTC | TORNADO | 1 N Kankakee Airport | Kankakee, IL | Video shows tornado on the ground near the Kankakee Airport. |
| 23:28 UTC | HAIL 6.1 | 1 Sse Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | A hailstone measuring 156 mm or 6.14 inches in diameter, 16 inches in circumference, and 16.25 oz in weight was found on Osborn Ave in Kankakee, Illinois. The hailstone is a candidate for Illinois state record hailstone. |
| 23:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Wnw Aroma Park | Kankakee, IL | Multiple photos shared to social media show damage to structures and trees near Waldron Road and Marquette Lane near Aroma Park. Possible tornado. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:30 UTC | HAIL 6 | 1 Se Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | Photo shows hailstone approximately 6 inches in diameter in southeastern Kankakee. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:31 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nnw Aroma Park | Kankakee, IL | Videos and photos shared to social media show damage to structures and solar farm near 2000 South Road and 3000 East Road north of Aroma Park. Possible tornado. |
| 23:31 UTC | HAIL 4 | 1 Se Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | Photo shared to social media shows softball size hail near Beckman Park in Kankakee. Time estimated by radar. |
| 23:32 UTC | HAIL 3 | Kankakee | Kankakee, IL | 3 inch diameter hail reported in Kankakee. Relayed via amateur radio. |
| 23:35 UTC | HAIL 4.1 | 1 Nw Aroma Park | Kankakee, IL |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in IllinoisEvery tornado in Illinois since 1950Warnings in force in Illinois nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of March 10, 2026
20 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 10 | 4:49 PM CDT | EF0 | Livingston, IL | 1.1 | 175 | |||
| March 10 | 4:57 PM CDT | Unrated | Livingston, IL | 0.3 | 10 | |||
| March 10 | 6:18 PM CDT | Unrated | Kankakee, IL | 0.6 | 10 | |||
| March 10 | 6:19 PM CDT | Unrated | Kankakee, IL | 0.5 | 60 | |||
| March 10 | 6:21 PM CDT | EF3 | Kankakee, IL to IN | 35.6 | 1,550 | 3 | 19 | |
| March 10 | 6:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Kankakee, IL | 1.3 | 150 | |||
| March 10 | 6:36 PM CDT | Unrated | Kankakee, IL | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| March 10 | 6:43 PM CDT | Unrated | Kankakee, IL | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| March 10 | 7:22 PM CDT | EF1 | Knox, IL | 5.0 | 100 | $300 | ||
| March 10 | 7:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Stark, IL | 6.2 | 40 | |||
| March 10 | 7:43 PM CDT | EF1 | Jasper, IN | 10.5 | 900 | 3 | ||
| March 10 | 8:01 PM CDT | EF0 | Marshall, IL | 12.6 | 50 | |||
| March 10 | 8:07 PM CDT | EF2 | Starke, IN | 15.5 | 1,200 | |||
| March 10 | 8:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Starke, IN | 0.7 | 150 | |||
| March 10 | 9:05 PM CDT | EF1 | Lee, IA | 1.5 | 50 | |||
| March 10 | 9:26 PM CDT | EF1 | Lee, IA | 2.1 | 50 | |||
| March 10 | 9:38 PM CDT | EF1 | Lee, IA | 1.2 | 50 | |||
| March 10 | 11:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Mason, IL | 5.6 | 200 | |||
| March 10 | 12:06 AM CDT | EF1 | Mason, IL | 10.2 | 50 | |||
| March 10 | 12:30 AM CDT | EF2 | McCurtain, OK | 2.5 | 240 | 1 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.
Sources
NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.