A tornado likely touched down in south Naperville early Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
An initial survey of the storm showed a tornado in the western suburbs based on observed damage and debris from tornadoes downstream on radar, meteorologists said.
The approximate starting point was a strip mall at the northeast corner of 59th Street and 95th Street, although the evaluation is still ongoing.
On Saturday morning, parts of Cook and Will counties were experiencing flooded roads and viaducts after storms moved through the area, bringing heavy rainfall and damaging wind gusts of up to 60 mph, triggering tornado warnings for both counties.
Shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday, a severe thunderstorm warning remained in effect for Cook, Will and southern DuPage counties after tornado warnings expired. As of 7 a.m., the storm had moved into northwest Indiana, and many counties in the Chicago area were under a flood watch.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall were the main threats from the storm, and nearly 150 homes were without power as of Saturday morning.
“Tornado threat reduced, although strong winds (60+ mph) still moving across parts of Illinois along/east of I-57 and into NW Indiana,” the National Weather Service tweeted. “The message in the face of these storms remains largely the same — get inside, away from the windows.”
Flooding was reported in the area, from subways in Oak Park to roads in Hoffman Estates. Flooding was also reported on the Eisenhower Freeway, slowing traffic as cars moved more easily through the water.
The threat of storms is expected to diminish in the area later Saturday morning and afternoon, but chances for severe weather are possible again Saturday night into Sunday. Strong winds and heavy rain are again considered the primary threats, with a possibility of tornadoes.
Conditions could be hot during the day on Saturday as temperatures of 91 degrees are possible.
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