Why us? Why now?
Illinois is just sitting here in the middle of the nation minding its own business and here comes another siren.
It’s like Groundhog Day but with tornadoes.
Alex Duffus, a long-range meteorologist with AccuWeather, which supplies weather information to media and companies across America, said, “Illinois seems to be in the right place at the right time this year.”
Um, maybe he meant “wrong place at the wrong time”?
The prairie state leads the nation in preliminary tornado reports, Duffus said.
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After the most recent round of storms, Illinois has logged some 145 tornado reports this year, he said. That’s a record for the Land of Lincoln, which typically has about 54 sightings annually.
And we’re not even halfway through 2026.
It takes time to analyze damage tracks and check reports for accuracy, Duffus said. Once scientists have filtered through the data, the numbers may change.
Regardless, he said, Illinois is “well above average for what we would see for spring into summer.”
Can’t we overachieve in butterfly production or economic development or prevalence of ice cream parlors instead?
To those of us who remember the devastating Oak Lawn, Plainfield, Washington and Fairdale tornadoes, it may seem that Illinois has been tornado alley for decades. But, truth be told, the state typically gets far fewer tornadoes than many other states, including Texas, which records about 151 a year, Duffus said.
Recent storms have wreaked havoc across some Chicago suburbs, with reports of trees down, roofs blown off and multiple power outages. Across the border, Northwest Indiana has recently started feeling the pain of living next door to a twister magnet.
“We’ve seen a lot of low-pressure systems roll through Illinois and Indiana and portions of the Midwest,” Duffus said. Because of that active pattern, there has been an increase in tornadoes.
Another contributing factor, Duffus said, could be the El Niño pattern we’re currently in. El Niño years typically bring a decrease in tornado activity to some parts of the United States, but — you guessed it — not the Midwest.
Climate change is also suspect but, Duffus said, it takes years of data compilation to back that up.
While it’s OK to fret, it’s better to be prepared.
The 17 tornadoes that reportedly tore through the Chicago suburbs on June 11 damaged apartment buildings and signs in Hickory Hills and Bridgeview.
Adam Gulczynski, chief of police for Hickory Hills, recommends apartment residents head to the lowest level available, away from windows and exterior walls, during severe weather.
“If there is no basement, residents should move to an interior hallway, stairwell, bathroom or other small interior area on the lowest possible floor. They should avoid balconies, large open rooms, glass doors and windows,” he said.
He also encourages people to have more than one way to receive weather alerts, especially during overnight storms or when severe weather is expected.
Natalie Wiza is emergency manager for Naperville, where an EF-0 tornado also briefly touched down June 11.
She said it’s best to plan ahead when there’s potential for severe weather.
The National Weather Service’s Romeoville-Chicago 0ffice sends information to the city’s weather siren system, which is preset to go off during certain weather conditions, including high winds or an identified tornado, Wiza said.
“But the system can be manually set if we get a bunch of 911 calls or a city employee sees something,” Wiza said. “It means get inside and head to a safe space, and keep a weather radio with you.”
Choose a room on the lowest level that either has no windows and ideally has three interior walls, she said. And, be sure to stock it with water, shoes, nonperishable food, medications, a first aid kit and maybe a change of clothes.
Be advised that the municipal outdoor weather siren is not meant to be heard in your home or inside a business or building. It is intended to alert people who are outside at a baseball game or picnicking or running errands, she said.
When you’re indoors, she said, expect to receive warnings from a weather radio, phone or local television station. Make sure cell phone emergency alerts are toggled on.
Wiza said severe weather safety is about making smart choices.
If traveling, she said, make sure you have water and a first aid kit with you, and be weather aware. Never try to outrun a tornado, she said. “Know where safe spaces are. Find shelter, if needed.”
And, she added, stay away from underpasses and big box stores.
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If you’re overtaken by a tornado while on the road, Wiza said, get into a ditch, if possible, or stop, put the car in park, secure yourself with the seatbelt, put your head between your knees and wait for it to pass.
For more safety tips, go to ready.illinois.gov.
Meanwhile, make your safety plan. Because my gut feeling tells me another round of wicked winds this way comes.
Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years. She can be reached at [email protected].