EF3 Tornado — Du Page, Illinois

2021-06-20 · near Naperville, Du Page, Illinois

Event narrative

A tornado with peak winds of 140 mph touched down just south of 75th Street, west of Book Road in the western portion of the Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve. The near continuous damage path started near Plainfield-Naperville Road and Sheppey Court where considerable tree damage occurred. Significant tree damage began just east of Modaff Road with trees snapped and others uprooted along Quall Drive. Significant tree damage occurred near Verdin Lane with trees uprooted, trunks snapped and large tree limbs broken and tossed into homes. Damage to homes in this area appeared to be primarily due to falling trees. Tree damage continued through Killdeer Drive and along Bailey Road. Damage to roofs occurred to some homes in this area. Several utility poles were blown down on Bailey Road, between Lighthouse Drive and Coach Drive. Windows were broken and debris was embedded in stucco on a southside wall of an apartment building on the southeast corner of Bailey Road and Coach Drive. The tornado gradually intensified east of Naper Boulevard. Large trees were snapped just east of Naper Boulevard along Bailey Road. One fell onto a home causing roof damage. Naperville Fire Station #2 was damaged.

The tornado jogged to the northeast and began to increase in width with tree damage continuing through Fender Road, where roof and wall damage occurred to a home from a falling tree. Tree damage continued through Clemson Drive and Wehrli Road. Widespread tree damage occurred near 77th Street where one car was flipped over and a second car was damaged by debris. Roof and siding damage occurred to homes and a garage wall was removed. A garage door was blown in and a wall was destroyed on Siebert Court. The tornado destroyed a home on Princeton Circle. The house completely collapsed with debris deposited to the northeast, though homes on either side remained standing with only minor damage. It is at this location that the tornado reached peak intensity of EF3. In the same block, considerable damage occurred to roofs of several nearby homes. Damage to homes continued along Nutmeg Lane to Shady Grove Court, including the removal of walls on the second floor of at least one home and roofing damage to several others. The tornado increased in width as it moved between 75th and 79th Streets, destroying garages and lifting roofing of an apartment complex along Gladstone Drive. Considerable tree damage also occurred in the Green Valley Forest Preserve as the tornado crossed Greene Road.

The tornado continued east across Route 53 with tree and roof damage noted. More significant damage began again near Woodridge Drive. Several homes were damaged with large trees uprooted or snapped. Multiple fences were also blown down. Damage to homes continued near Evergreen Lane and James Court where several homes suffered significant roof and second story damage. The tornado crossed Interstate 355 where a large portion of a traffic sign on southbound Interstate 355 was ripped off two steel posts. The missing section of the traffic sign was found in a pond in the Lake Ridge Club, between 79th Street and 81st Street, east of Madison Street in Burr Ridge, nearly 6 miles from its original location.

Significant damage occurred to homes and apartment buildings east of Interstate 355 between Country Club Drive and Egerton Drive. Some roofs were completely removed. Tree and roof damage continued along Pine Drive and Britten Street. The tornado began to increase in width again as it crossed Lemont Road where a warehouse building was damaged. Tree and roof damage continued through Highland Avenue, Plainfield Road, Bailey Road and Cass Avenue. At least one apartment building suffered significant roof damage along Lakeview Drive. East of Cass Avenue, the tornado produced mainly tree damage, crossing Interstate 55, then Route 83 and then moving east along 83rd Street. Damage occurred to several dozen homes in Burr Ridge. The tornado crossed into Cook County near 83rd Street.

In Naperville, 231 structures reported some level of damage. One home was completely destroyed, 19 were declared uninhabitable and 143 sustained major damage. In Woodridge, 640 structures were damaged, including 31 homes that were uninhabitable and 157 that sustained major damage. In Darrien, 2 homes were damaged and 1 was uninhabitable. In Burr Ridge, 50 homes were damaged. A total of 11 people were injured, including a woman who was 6 months pregnant and was critically injured. She lost her unborn baby as the result of her injuries.

Wider weather episode

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the late evening of June 20th and the early morning of June 21st producing wind damage and three tornadoes.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.7451, -88.1947)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 960280. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.