Massive Fairdale Tornado Was One Of 11 In Illinois Last Week
Last Thursday's severe weather created a total of 11 tornadoes in Illinois, including the rare EF-4 storm that destroyed much of two small towns west of Chicago.
Watch CBS News
Last Thursday's severe weather created a total of 11 tornadoes in Illinois, including the rare EF-4 storm that destroyed much of two small towns west of Chicago.
Tom Ciciora has been involved in amateur radio, or ham radio, for more than 40 years. He said, when thunderstorm or tornado warnings are issued by the National Weather Service, amateur radio enthusiasts will head toward areas where it might be worst, using smartphone app radar as a guide.
Neighbors in Fairdale and Rochelle have been rallying together to pick up the pieces, and get through this difficult time, after Thursday's devastating tornado. Survivors and volunteers spent the entire weekend cleaning, but there's still a lot of work left to do.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the Chicago area on Thursday.
The National Weather Service has modified the way it categorizes the anticipated risk of severe weather.
Thunderstorms could fire up later in the day, bringing heavy rain, lightning, and hail up to the size of pennies, according to the National Weather Service. The threat of storms and hail continue into Thursday as temperatures soar to a high of about 70.
Spring weather finally seems to be here to stay, after it seemed like someone forgot to show Old Man Winter the door.
Spring just keeps hitting the snooze button on us.
The trucks will focus on arterial streets, Lake Shore Drive, hills, bridge decks, overpasses and "other vital public safety locations" early Friday, according to a statement from the department.
According to the National Weather Service, 5.8 inches of snow fell at O'Hare International Airport during Monday's snowstorm, bringing the official total for the month to 6.5 inches. The average snowfall for March in Chicago is 5.6 inches.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory until noon. Forecasters predicted up to 2 to 4 inches of snow north of Interstate 80, and 3 to 5 inches north of a line from Dixon to Waukegan.
While Friday and Saturday should see temperatures in the 50s, or slightly above normal for this time of year, Sunday and Monday will be much chillier, with conditions more suitable for late February.
The National Weather Service issued a lakeshore flood advisory for Cook County, and Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana, until 1 p.m. Chicago time.
Visibility may sink to zero at times, but is expected to hover around a quarter mile, according to the National Weather Service.
Our clocks won't be the only things springing forward this weekend. After setting a new record for cold overnight, temperatures will gradually return to normal for this time of year over the weekend, ahead of even milder conditions in the middle of next week.
It's been meteorological spring for nearly four days, though you'd never guess from the weather. Chicago area residents will have to suffer through a couple more days of frigid weather before a gradual spring thaw begins this weekend.
It might not seem like the ideal time of year for a tornado drill, but that's exactly what state and local officials have planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday across Illinois.
After one of the coldest months in Chicago history, March has gotten off to a relatively warmer start that might put a little spring into commuters' step to start the work week.
This month already was the third snowiest February on record in Chicago, and March will get an early jump on the snow, with a winter storm blanketing the area in up to 6 inches of snow on Sunday, March 1.
After the snowstorm ended, temperatures dropped nearly 20 degrees in 12 hours. As of shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday, it was 18 degrees at O'Hare. By 3 a.m. Friday, the temperature had edged to zero. As of 6 a.m., it was 1 below.
Snow-covered roads made for a very slick commute across the Chicago area Thursday morning, after 2 to 8 inches of snow fell in Chicagoland overnight. Lake-effect snow was still falling in some neighborhoods late Thursday morning.
Chicago area residents will continue riding a seesaw of temperatures over the next few days, with painfully cold conditions Monday, a brief return of milder conditions on Tuesday, and then another bitter blast later in the week.
After breaking two records for extreme cold on Thursday, the double digit temperatures expected by Friday afternoon should seem downright mild by comparison.
Around 6:20 a.m., the temperature at O'Hare National Airport dropped to 8 below zero, breaking the previous Feb. 19 record of 7 below, set in 1936, according to the National Weather Service.
Burglars targeted a BP gas station in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood early Tuesday morning.
The Obama Foundation will host an official watch party for the Obama Presidential Center and Library grand opening on Midway Plaisance in June.
A court hearing was set for Tuesday for a young soccer star who attends Stephen Tyng Mather High School in Chicago, but is now being held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
A teenage boy has died after being pulled from Lake Michigan offshore from Waukegan, Illinois, on Monday.
Survivors say they'd asked for more medical support before the Iranian drone strike that killed six U.S. soldiers at their command post in Kuwait in the war's first 24 hours.
An attorney for Chicago Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) on Monday called an ethics investigation into the alderman's conduct a malicious "travesty."
In a move aimed at curbing the growing problem of "teen takeovers," D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is threatening to bring charges against parents if their teens violate the local curfew.
State Rep. Josh Turek and State Sen. Zach Wahls squared off Thursday over which candidate can flip Iowa's open Republican-held Senate seat, as millions in outside spending reshapes the primary's final stretch.
Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin say their concern is there may be more emergency exit doors than flight attendants in the event of an evacuation.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
A person suspected of having hantavirus in Winnebago County, Illinois, turned out to be a false alarm, officials said Monday.
The DuPage County Health Department has confirmed its first positive tests for West Nile virus in pools of mosquitoes this year.
The Kane County Health Department was set Monday to offer a free mental health awareness webinar.
At least 80 deaths have been reported in a new Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and Uganda, authorities said.
Engineers at Northwestern University have created a wireless polygraph to detect stress.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Flight attendants at Chicago-based United Airlines have approved a new labor contract, marking their first pay increases in six years.
The Chicago Fire FC announced Wednesday morning that its new stadium in the South Loop will be named McDonald's Park.
The Chicago-born house music track, which began as a personal poem in 1982 and became a defining anthem of the city's house music scene, has been selected for permanent preservation by the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress revealed this year's list of 25 recordings to be preserved for future generations on the National Recording Registry.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
A court hearing was set for Tuesday for a young soccer star who attends Mather High School in Chicago, but is now being held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Lauren Victory reports.
Burglars targeted a BP gas station in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood early Tuesday morning.
A court hearing was set for Tuesday for a young soccer star who attends Stephen Tyng Mather High School in Chicago, but is now being held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Lauren Victory reports.
Lanes are closed on I-55 after a crash involving two semi-trucks in Darien, Illinois on Tuesday morning.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
Thornwood High School's commencement was disrupted when guests started fighting and police had to step in.
The battle over the Chicago Bears' next home is taking center stage on Tuesday.
Lanes are closed on I-55 after a crash involving two semi-trucks in DuPage County on Tuesday morning.
Burglars targeted a BP gas station in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood early Tuesday morning.
The Obama Foundation will host an official watch party for the Obama Presidential Center and Library grand opening on Midway Plaisance in June.
Pothole complaints continue everywhere, but especially on one street in the Pullman neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
People in Lincoln Park and Lakeview have rallied against a plan to build a new industrial ComEd electrical substation in their neighborhoods, pushing local and state leaders to get involved.
Monday marks one year since Illinois enacted Karina's Law — legislation aimed at taking firearms out of the hands of people accused of domestic abuse.
Tenants at a South Shore apartment building said they've noticed their rent fluctuating by hundreds of dollars a month due to a change in how their utility billing system is set up.
A man from the Chicago suburbs lost $69,000 of his savings to a scam by a thief using an AI-generated U.S. Marshals badge to intimidate him.
The battle over the Chicago Bears' next home is taking center stage on Tuesday.
Touted prospect Colt Emerson launched a three-run homer for his first major league hit, and the Seattle Mariners stopped a three-game slide with a 6-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Jake Bauers homered and drove in four runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 9-3 in the first meeting this season between the longtime NL Central rivals.
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong says he regrets the words he used during a heated exchange with a fan.
Rookie Gabriela Jaquez set career highs with 20 points and eight rebounds, Kamilla Cardoso had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and the Chicago Sky beat the Minnesota Lynx 86-79.
A truck driver was sentenced to over 13 years in prison for smuggling $9.4 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of Skims, Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand.
Police in Michigan City, Indiana, were searching Monday for the person they said shot and killed a 14-year-old boy.
Burglars hit a string of businesses in Chicago's South Loop early Monday morning.
Burglars broke into a CBD and kratom dispensary on Chicago's Near West Side early Monday morning.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office will announced a new taskforce Monday bringing federal officers on board to help with crime on CTA.