The National Weather Service has confirmed large tornadoes have touched down near Streator and Dwight, Illinois Thursday.
A tornado was impacting southern and southeastern portions of Streator as of 5:52 p.m., and residents were being urged to seek shelter immediately.
Just after 6:15 p.m. another tornado was reported on the ground near Dwight, with a tornado warning issued for Grundy and Kankakee counties.
Debris signatures were observed on Doppler radar as the storm moved through the Streator area.
According to the National Weather Service, structures have been reported damaged on the south side of Streator, with Illinois State Police confirming damage to NWS.
Illinois State Police later confirmed on Facebook that “heavy damage” had occurred in Streator, and Illinois-18 leading into the community had been shut down as clean-up and rescue efforts are underway.
Displaced residents and separated families are being directed to Streator City Hall, according to officials.
Video captured by Ashley Heider in Streator, Illinois shows a massive tornado that hit the area on Thursday.
There were also multiple tornado touchdowns in northwest Indiana on an intense day of severe weather, with damage reported in Kouts, Hebron and other communities.
Another brief tornado touchdown occurred earlier in the day in Kenosha County in Wisconsin, though there weren’t immediate reports of damage.
A large funnel cloud in Washburn, Illinois was captured on video by Caylyn Cass and Steve Miller on Thursday.
We will update this breaking story with details as they become available.
