Live Updates: Tornado Watches Continue in Two States; Destructive Illinois Tornado Kills at Least 1 Person

April 10,2015


 
A destructive tornado ripped across northern Illinois Thursday evening, killing at least one person in a tiny DeKalb County hamlet and injuring seven others in a two-county area. A tornado watch remains in effect for parts of three states as severe thunderstorms continue to rumble ahead of an advancing cold front.
(FORECASTS: Severe Weather Outbreak This Week | TOR:CON Tornado Forecast | State-by-State News)
Here's what you need to know right now:

• A tornado watch is in effect until 8 a.m. EDT for parts of central and southern Ohio and central Kentucky. This includes the city of Lexington. It appears the highest severe weather threat has now passed Louisville and Cincinnati.
• A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 10 a.m. EDT for parts of eastern Ohio, West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and eastern Tennessee. This includes the city of Charleston, West Virginia.
• The Illinois Office of Emergency Management said one person was killed in Fairdale, a small DeKalb County hamlet that took a direct hit. Three people were injured in DeKalb County and four more in neighboring Ogle County, where a restaurant collapsed north of Rochelle. Rescue crews continue to sift through debris.
• A large, long-track tornado began near Ashton, Illinois, around 6:40 p.m. CDT Thursday. It crossed Interstate 39 several miles north of Rochelle, Illinois, shortly after 7 p.m. CDT. The tornado was broadcast live on The Weather Channel. Fairdale was hit shortly afterward. The parent storm continued to spawn a tornado – possibly the same tornado – all the way northeast into McHenry County in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago, where it was sighted near Marengo and Harvard before eventually weakening and dissipating as it approached the Wisconsin border.
• Three teams from the National Weather Service office in Romeoville, Illinois will survey the damage Friday to determine the locations, tracks and magnitudes of Thursday's tornadoes.
• In North Carolina, lightning killed a man in the parking lot of a shopping center near Cary as strong to severe thunderstorms moved through Thursday evening.
• A tornado was spotted near Donahue, Iowa, at 5:17 p.m. CDT. Tornadoes were later spotted near DeWitt and Clinton, Iowa, from the same supercell thunderstorm. These communities are just north of Davenport, Iowa.
• A tornado was also sighted in Walbridge, Ohio, near Toledo, Thursday evening.
• Thursday's first tornado was reported at 1:32 p.m. just north of Peoria, Illinois. The same storm prompted another report of a brief ropelike tornado near Rome, Illinois, a few minutes later.
• A mobile home was blown over and rolled in Centralia, Missouri, as a severe thunderstorm moved through at 4:10 p.m. CDT. Local dispatchers also said a tree fell on a trailer in Centralia, causing minor injuries and structural damage.
• The FAA says arriving flights into O'Hare were being delayed by an average of 3 1/2 hours Thursday afternoon. FlightAware.com said nearly 900 flights to and from O'Hare were cancelled Thursday.

Here's the latest on today's severe weather. Time stamps on the left are in Eastern time; subtract one hour for Central time. Click here or scroll down for current weather maps of the risk zone, including radar, watches and warnings.

Current Radar With Watches and Warnings

Current Radar With Watches and Warnings

(MORE: View National Interactive Radar Map | Difference Between a Watch and a Warning)

Satellite Image and Current Conditions

Current Conditions and Enhanced Satellite

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(PHOTO/VIDEO GALLERIES: Severe | Storms)

MORE: Early April Severe Weather (April 8-9, 2015)