Ashlyn Villarreal was driving home from work selling cars in Kankakee Tuesday night when she saw a flash of lightning and “gumball”-size hail. Suddenly, the gumballs turned into softballs and the glass on her Mustang’s windshield cracked, cutting her hands.
“I could just feel the glass shatter all around me,” recalled Villarreal, 31, who said the hail came “out of nowhere.”
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A cross stands near destroyed homes March 11, 2026, in Aroma Park, after storms the evening before. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
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A cross stands near destroyed homes March 11, 2026, in Aroma Park, after storms the evening before. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
She took cover at a gas station near her home in West Kankakee with several other people, who, like her, were stunned by the severe weather that day in Kankakee and much of Illinois, as a tornado and large hail hit the area.
“I should probably check the weather more often,” said Villarreal, who is now safely at home and thinks her car is going to be totaled after the storm.
2 killed and homes destroyed after tornadoes and large hail hit Illinois and Indiana
Tornado warnings were issued across the area as a large tornado continued to sweep through Illinois and into Indiana, along with large hail and the risk of flash flooding.
Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings were also issued across the Chicago area, and a thunderstorm watch went into effect in parts of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service.
A “very large” tornado was confirmed in Kankakee County and into northwest Indiana as the tornado warning remained ongoing at least until midnight Wednesday, according to David King, a meteorologist with the weather service, who also warned of large hail.
Precaution is straightforward. “If there is a warning being issued, go indoors,” King said.
Nearly 7,000 ComEd customers experienced power outages as of 7:40 pm Tuesday, according to a ComEd power outage map.
Chicago O’Hare issued a ground stop on Tuesday night due to thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, with flight departures at that time delayed an average of 15 minutes and increasing.
As Villarreal drove back home, the water was up to her car door.
“I could look out the window and see the wave,” Villarreal said.
She said her neighbor’s home had a broken window and trees had fallen in the area.
Vintage Chicago Tribune: Tornadoes that left an impact on the area
The National Weather Service issued a series of severe thunderstorm watches for Chicago and parts of Illinois on Tuesday, with heavy rainfall easing into midnight. The advisory warned of possible tornadoes, hail greater than 2 inches in diameter, winds more than 70 miles per hour and localized flash flooding for areas near and south of I-80. Officials said the severe weather threat might last past 1 a.m. south of the highway.
A flood watch was also issued in Cook County and parts of Illinois from 2 p.m. Tuesday until 3 a.m. Wednesday.
“Should a strong or severe storm be headed into your area, you kind of know the drill,” said Kevin Doom, a National Weather Service meteorologist, early Tuesday. “Head inside, and then, if there’s a tornado threat, obviously take shelter if you need to.”
Monday was the warmest March 9 on record in Chicago with a high of 73 degrees, according to weather service data. Normal temperatures for this time sit around 44 degrees. This comes after a month of below average snowfall in February.
Trends in recent decades point to an overall warming of average temperatures in Chicago across all seasons, most rapidly in winter, due to human activities such as fossil-fuel burning that release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
On Tuesday, Chicago was expected to be just north of a warm front covering the southern portion of the metro, Doom said Monday, so temperatures in the city were expected to drop into the 50s.
Doom said it’s important to be aware of Tuesday’s weather because even though storms would be scattered, they’ll certainly be in the area, and windstorms could occur in late evening and overnight as Chicago’s cold front pushes through.
“Keep a loose eye on the things,” Doom said. “Maybe turn the news on every once in a while.”
Tribune reporter Adriana Pérez contributed.