Kankakee County, Illinois — A large tornado south of Chicago downed trees and power lines Tuesday and flooded the 911 center with emergency calls, officials said.
The tornado touched down in the Kankakee County area, about 47.5 miles (76.4 kilometers) south of Chicago, and caused extensive damage on the south side of the city of Kankakee, according to Trooper Jayme Buford, an Illinois State Police spokesman. It traveled northeast to Aroma Park, where it caused more damage, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office. No injuries were reported.
In a video circulated on social media, the tornado was seen tearing apart an agricultural field near the airport as cars lined the road.
The National Weather Service reported that severe storms threaten to produce severe tornadoes, damaging winds and very large hail from the southern Plains to the southern Great Lakes. States from Texas to Michigan were under a tornado watch.
More than two million Americans were at moderate risk of severe weather in Illinois and Indiana. Nearly 22 million people were at slightly lower risk in a region that includes Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Just over the Indiana state line, an apparent tornado struck several homes in Lake Village and caused injuries, according to Indiana State Police Cpl. Eric Root.
He was unable to determine the number of injured people or their condition.
“We are still in emergency response mode,” he said.