Lightning — Will, Illinois

2025-08-18 · near Forest Park, Will, Illinois

Event narrative

Just before 6 PM CST, lightning struck a home on Caraway Ct in Lockport setting it on fire. No one was injured in the fire, but the home was declared uninhabitable while repairs were made.

Wider weather episode

During the afternoon and evening of the 18th, a few rounds of thunderstorms brought torrential rainfall to much of northern Illinois resulting in flash flooding. One particularly strong storm also produced damaging winds in DeKalb County. Initial reports estimate $8.8 million in flood damages around northern and northeast Illinois, and around $2.5 million in the city of Chicago alone.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.5624, -88.0151)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1292419. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.