June 11, 2026 / 9:43 PM EDT
/ CBS/AP
Add CBS News on Google
Severe storms that swept through the Midwest knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers, damaged buildings and canceled flights and resulted in at least one death, with new tornadoes touching down late Thursday in communities outside Chicago. Approximately 11 cities across Illinois and Wisconsin reported tornadoes as of Thursday evening, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. Wind gusts of 75 miles per hour were reported in Mason City, Illinois, and 70 mph in Morton and Washington, Illinois. According to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, more than 243,000 customers were without power in Illinois as of Thursday evening. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center upgraded the Chicago area to a level 4 out of 5 on its severe risk scale, meaning widespread severe storms are likely. According to CBS News Chicago, it is the first time Chicago has sen a level 4 risk since July 15, 2024, when the area saw a record tornado outbreak with 32 touchdowns. This level of risk is typically seen once every two years. The National Weather Service said tornadoes had been confirmed in mostly rural areas southwest of Chicago, with some preliminary reports of buildings damaged in Streator, a manufacturing and farm city about 100 miles away. The city of Streator said in a news release that a confirmed tornado had torn through the city, but Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said in a statement that there were no reported fatalities as of Thursday evening. Storm chaser and video journalist Scott Lasker told CBS News Chicago he was in Streator, Illinois, during the tornado outbreak and said he heard a woman, about 100 yards away, screaming for help. Lasker ran over to find the woman's husband was stuck in the rubble and ended up helping rescue him.
