Kankakee Slammed By Large Tornado Tuesday Night

We’re monitoring a dangerous line of storms spanning from the Gulf Coast up through the Ohio Valley today, carrying a threat that has already turned deadly on its march across the country.

Just last night, the same system unleashed multiple tornadoes and slammed parts of the Plains and Midwest with giant (and in some cases, potentially record-breaking) hail. We're still piecing together the full extent of the damage left behind overnight, but you can read what we know so far here.

Now those storms are shifting east, with tornadoes and damaging hail once again possible for states like Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky and Ohio.

Weather in your inbox

Forecast Location

Sign Up

By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Get the full forecast here and track the threat here.

Follow along below for the latest updates as this dangerous situation continues to unfold:

(04:33 p.m. EDT) The Latest From The Storm Prediction Center

Here’s the latest thinking from forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center, including a few subtle shifts from what we’ve been keeping our eyes on.

Storms in Tennessee are expected to mainly bring gusty winds and possibly some small hail over the next few hours, rather than a bigger tornado threat.

Meanwhile, storms in southeast Texas are forecast to move east overnight, and that’s where forecasters say the risk could actually tick up a bit, with stronger winds and a chance for a few tornadoes.

Farther north, storms across the Ohio Valley into the Appalachians haven’t been quite as widespread as earlier forecasts suggested. Even so, scattered storms are still ongoing, and there’s still a lingering risk for severe weather, especially in parts of Pennsylvania.

(04:13 p.m. EDT) What Made Last Night So Impactful?

The system we’re watching was especially rough across Northern Illinois and Indiana overnight. Meteorologist Rob Shackelford breaks down exactly why here.

(03:42 p.m. EDT) A Look At Yesterday’s Devastation In Indiana

The full scope of the damage is still coming into focus in Lake Village, Indiana, where a tornado from the same powerful storm system we’re watching today flattened homes and left debris scattered as far as the eye can see.

The storm tore through the area late last night, killing at least two people. Rescue crews have been on scene working to find survivors.

Watch the devastating footage here.

(03:09 p.m. EDT) What We’re Watching Now

Several tornado watches remain in effect as this system pushes east:

Right now, tornado watches through this afternoon stretch from southern Indiana through northeastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio through northern West Virginia, including cities like Louisville and Cincinnati.

Another tornado watch is in effect farther south for parts of southeast Texas and western Louisiana, including Houston and Lake Charles, until early this evening.

Farther east, a new tornado watch now covers parts of the Maryland panhandle, northern Virginia, southwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern West Virginia through 8 p.m. local time as the storm threat spreads toward the Appalachians.

(02:50 p.m. EDT) Potential Record-Breaking Hailstone

From digital meteorologist Sara Tonks:

Severe weather yesterday brought not just damaging winds and tornadoes but also massive hail reported up to 6 inches (half a foot) in diameter. To put that into perspective, that’s larger than a grapefruit by 1.5 inches (which is often the upper limit of hail size charts).

The National Weather Service office in Chicago is investigating a reported six-inch hailstone from Kankakee, Illinois, which would smash the record for the largest reported hailstone in the state of Illinois by 1.25 inches. The current official record is from a hailstone that measured 4.75 inches in Minooka, Illinois, in June of 2015.

There were, in fact, six reports of hail larger than 4.75 inches from yesterday’s storms, but the NWS office will focus on the largest reported stone for the new record.

(02:29 p.m. EDT) If You’re Playing Catch-up

This storm system has already unleashed chaos across parts of the Plains and Midwest, where more than 10 million people were under a tornado threat yesterday. Power outages, airport disruptions and destructive storms hit states including Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Indiana after the Storm Prediction Center issued a rare Level 4 out of 5 severe weather risk — its highest outlook so far this year.

By early this morning, the National Weather Service had received about 230 severe weather reports. Most notably, one long-lived supercell tracked more than 120 miles from northeast Illinois into northern Indiana over a span of more than four hours, spawning tornadoes in Kankakee, Illinois, and Lake Village and Wheatfield, Indiana. Survey teams have already confirmed the tornado that struck Wheatfield was an EF1 in strength.

(02:15 p.m. EDT) Today’s Forecast

From senior digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles:

Severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening from the central Appalachians through the Tennessee Valley and into the northern Gulf Coast. The overall threat in this area will be lower than Tuesday’s threat — a step down from yesterday's level 4 to a level 2.

There are two areas we’re watching for tornadoes: One along the northern Gulf Coast and another in the northern Appalachians. The biggest cities in these areas are Houston, New Orleans and Pittsburgh. Damaging winds and large hail are also possible today.

Storms are already flaring across this area and will continue through late evening in the northern stretch of this area and possibly through the night across the South.