Thunderstorm Wind in Du Page County, Illinois

A microburst caused significant wind damage in Carol Stream and Glendale Heights. The damage occurred across an area about one half mile long and 250 yards wide, just to the east of Schmale Road near the intersection with North Avenue.

The most severe damage occurred at an apartment complex east of Schmale Road between Willow Woods Drive and Burns Street in Carol Stream. Here a three story apartment building had a substantial portion of its roof entirely peeled off by winds and many windows were blown out. Two other apartment buildings lost significant portions of their roofs, while six other buildings sustained significant roof damage. Many large trees were uprooted around the grounds.

Located adjacent to and to the north of the apartment complex, a church sustained significant damage to its roof. This structure was formally a large discount store. Debris from the apartments was strewn throughout the church's parking lot and onto North Avenue. Further to the north, across North Avenue, a few large trees were uprooted or blown down. There was also significant damage to the roof at a manufacturing company in Glendale Heights. Here a 60 by 80 foot section of roof was peeled off on the southeast corner of the structure. There were also two or three holes about 8 to 10 feet across punched in the roof.

Located to the south of the apartment complex, there was damage to the roof facade on a medical office building located along the south side of St. Charles Road just east of Schmale Road. Further south, there were trees blown down and shingles and small sections of siding peeled up from roofs at two other apartment complexes.

Severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the evening hours of Saturday, March 31st, producing winds in excess of 60 mph across many locations.