EF-1 Tornado Confirmed In Kane County

KANE COUNTY, IL —The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado did touch down in Elgin during Wednesday nights’ storms.

On Thursday, storm survey teams in Kane County determined a tornado tracked from east of Route 47 in Elgin to west of the Villa Olivia Golf Course. The EF-1 tornado reached a maximum speed of 100 mph.

An EF-1 is considered a moderate tornado, and can reach speeds up to 110 mph, and an EF-0 is the weakest on the enhanced fujita scale. An EF-5 is the strongest, deadliest tornadoes, which can reach speeds more than 200 mph.

The tornado confirmation was the first made so far in Kane County from Wednesdays’ storms, and survey teams are working to determine how many total twisters touched down.

Early on Thursday, weather officials said its believed "several" tore through Kane County in close proximity to each other.

Surveyors will be out in various areas across the Chicago area that saw extensive storm damage — including Huntley, Campton Hills, Elgin and other portions of Kane County — in the coming days to determine the number and strength of the tornadoes. Amy Johnson, undersheriff for the Kane County Sheriff's Office, told Patch the city of Elgin along the Bowes Road and Crawford Road corridor was the hardest hit by storms.

According to the National Weather Service, multiple tornadoes tracked across parts of northeast Illinois between 5 and 7 p.m., "some in very close proximity to one another."

Several photos and videos on social media show apparent "twin tornadoes" forming in Kane County. Shaw Local News Network is reporting the tornadoes appeared to be west of Elgin and South Elgin in the Campton Hills area.

The National Weather Service told Shaw Media it received reports of tornado touchdowns in South Elgin and Lily Lake.

Elgin and Kane County officials reported at least 21 homes damaged by potential tornado touch downs in the area of Bowes Road and Crawford Road in Elgin Township and in the Edgewater (Del Webb) subdivision at Bowes and Randall roads.

There have been no reports of injuries related to the storms as of early Thursday.

Elgin police and fire departments responded to the area of the 2800 block of Stoney Creek Drive at about 6:20 p.m. where they found 19 homes with damage, according to a news release from the city of Elgin.

In unincorporated Kane County, significant damage has been reported in the area of Bowes and Crawford roads in Elgin Township, according to a Kane County Sheriff's Office news release. Two homes were damaged but no one was displaced, according to the news release.

"For our area in unincorporated we received two reports of substantial structural damage to two houses in the Bowes Road area. This includes roof damage," Johnson said.

The Kane County Drone Team was contacted to fly and assess the damage and see if there is any
further emergency response that is required for the areas hit hardest with structural damage, sheriff's office officials said Wednesday night.

Bowes Road in the area of the storm was shut down Wednesday night but has since reopened, Johnson said.

The Kane Department of Transportation has been working to remove downed trees from Bowes Road — must of which have been removed as of early Thursday, Johnson said.

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office planned to stay at the scene of the hardest hit locations to ensure safety and security throughout the night on Wednesday, authorities said.

National Weather Service reports also show storm damage that occurred in Huntley, including a roof that blew off a building at about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday. Downed trees and damage to homes was also reported in the area of Algonquin and Reed roads.

This is a developing story. We will update more as it becomes available.