Tornado Strikes Plainfield and Bolingbrook

The National Weather Service in Romeoville, Illinois has confirmed a tornado touched down in Will County today.

Here is the official report from the NWS:

A small tornado touched down at Route 126 and Eastern Avenue in

Plainfield at 258 pm CDT and continued for 3.2 miles to near Patrick

Henry Parkway and Essington Road in Bolingbrook around 309 pm. The

tornado path width was only about 5 yards wide. The tornado was

rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with winds estimated at 65 to

near 80 mph.

The first damage was at a nursing home just northeast of downtown

Plainfield. An SUV in the parking lot was flipped on its side and a

couple other vehicles were jostled. There was roof damage to the

nursing home where shingles and a couple small sections of roofing

were torn off.

The funnel then passed over an older neighborhood with mature trees

and ranch homes. There was no visible damage in this area. The large

trees may have sheltered the neighborhood. The funnel then moved

over an area of lakes with very few homes. There was a report of a boat

damaged near 135th Street.

The next signs of damage were in a subdivision just southwest of the

corner of Essington Road and 127th Street. This is a new subdivision

with large two story homes and only small trees. These homes were

more exposed. Here there was minor damage to several homes. Most of

the damage was to shingles and playground equipment. The tornado

continued into another subdivision north of 127th where trampolines

and lawn furniture were blown around by the twister. The flying

debris damaged siding on a few homes. The tornado damage ended in a

subdivision under construction on the east side of Essington Road

where a construction trailer was damaged. The funnel dissipated over

Bolingbrook Golf Club.