Large tornado downs trees and power lines in Illinois county

KANKAKEE COUNTY, Ill. — A large tornado south of Chicago downed trees and power lines Tuesday and overwhelmed the 911 center with emergency calls, according to officials.

The tornado struck down in the Kankakee County area, about 47.5 miles (76.4 kilometers) south of Chicago, and caused major damage on the south side of Kankakee City, according to Trooper Jayme Bufford, a spokesperson for Illinois State Police. It traveled northeast into Aroma Park, where it caused more damage, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office. No injuries have been reported.

In video shared on social media, the twister is seen ripping across a field of farmland near an airport while vehicles lined the road.

Severe storms were threatening to bring intense tornadoes, damaging winds and very large hail from the southern Plains to the southern Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service. States from Texas to Michigan were under tornado watches.

More than 2 million Americans were at a moderate risk of severe weather in Illinois and Indiana. Nearly 22 million were at a slightly lesser risk in a zone that includes Chicago, Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Just over the Indiana state line, an apparent tornado hit several houses in Lake Village and caused injuries, according to Indiana State Police Cpl. Eric Rot.

He was not able to provide the number of people injured or their condition.

“We’re still in emergency response mode,” he said.