Bow Echo / Tornado event in NE IL/ Chicago Suburbs 6/21/11


First day of Summer came in like gangbusters in the area

Thunderstorms developed again this evening over North and Central IL. The storms over NW IL and in our area fizzled although we did get a heavy rain over my house. A storm in Boone county was pretty heavy though..

BUT the main show was over central IL and into NC IL and NE IL..!

Nearly a quarter of a million across NE Illinois without electricity in wake of Tues eve's storms. Powerlines down across the area. Big trees reported uprooted throughout the area & across homes. It's reminiscent of the Aug 4 2008 derecho & the damage it produced. Some areas are being reported looking like war zones. Gusts: 81 mph at Wheeling, 75 Wheaton & Elmuhurst, 71 Pontiac, 70 at O'Hare & Naperville, 66 Romeoville.

75 in Spring Valley in La Salle co.

Radar images show the cluster of storms form into a bow echo which raced into the Suburbs with embedded tornadoes and the largest Tornado polygon I've ever seen which turned out to be a good call !

Storms started to develop a hook

Tornado warnings were issued for embedded tornadoes in the line..

A tornado was reported in the Downers Grove area 

Relative motion shows the rotation well

Velcoity