June 7 2008 Northern Illinois

Had no intentions of chasing this day, but then had it end up my chase of the year. Most chasers from the area had flocked to Iowa for a moderate risk, but I elected to stay home after 6 straight days of chasing and finishing an 1100 mile drive the night before. I had my girlfriend Tia over, and was just watching the Cubs game that afternoon and decided to check on the situation in Iowa since I knew several people over there chasing. In doing so, I noticed a little boundary nearby from around the Peoria to Bloomington area. Shear in northern Illinois was very favorable for supercells and tornadoes and the June sun and moisture had the atmosphere strongly unstable. SBcape values were around 4500-5000 j/kg with 0-1 km helicity at 450 m/s bullseyed along this boundary. Even so, a strong cap was in place so I wasn't sold enough to give up the air conditioning and Cubs game. However, cu organized, and soon we had returns showing up. A storm popped over Woodford County and in 3 scans had a hook echo and tornado warning. This was enough for me, as new returns were showing up even closer. It was obvious that anything that went on this boundary was primed to go insane. I told Tia she could either head home or hop in the car, but that I though it'd be best if we hit the road now before it was too late. I still was not sold we would get new development closer to Interstate 57, but if we did I wanted to be there. Sure enough, while heading down the interstate we got some returns to show up, and soon had a new supercell in northern Livingston County. It quickly put down a couple tornadoes along Interstate 55. As I approached Kankakee I checked the new mesoanalysis runs. The storm had begun to weaken, but looking at the environment ahead of it I hoped and begged that it was merely cycling. Once I reached the core of the supercell, the radar updated and I said to Tia, "we are golden." The base quickly came into view as scud was being literally inhaled into the base. I said "*&^(*& get my camera!!". We went into another valley and then emerged again and I knew we had a tornado. Rapid rising motion all over, and then sure enough the beast showed itself. Tornado #1 was underway near Wilmington, IL. The pictures and video do way more justice than words will. This was just a big black wedge with all kinds of motion. I shot it for a little bit from my initial location but was going to lose it behind a row of trees so I backtracked a mile and picked up a nice north highway. The tornado took on a new multivortex stage now with erie motion underneath. I called into LOT and let them know we had a significant tornado underway. The tornado soon crossed the road in front of me, sweeping across all kind of debris with it. As I headed east along with it the tornado briefly shrunk down to a nice cone with a snake like vortex underneath but then quickly maxed back out to a healthy stove pipe before eventually calling it quits. As I repositioned for the next tornado I got a view of the awesome structure this supercell had. Wasn't long before I spotted another black wedge under the base. This thing got HUGE when I neared the town of Andres and Wilton Center. A couple cars chugged on past me directly into the path. I suggested out loud that maybe they STOP but a lot of good that was doing. I inched up another mile or so and stepped back out to film the beast. Mentioned to Tia that if she wanted to hear a tornado she could step out now. Sounded like a waterfall in the distance. I followed this tornado closer and closer to more populated areas. I called into LOT again to let them know a large tornado was still on the ground, and they forwarded me to News Radio 780 I believe it was, where I went live on the air. I urged residents to get under ground as this was not your average spring tornado warning, that there was a powerful tornado doing damage in the area. I think this was probably the biggest tornado of the family from this supercell. It eventually roped out, and we immediately had a new wedge. Never seen such a quick transition. Rope out... then a new suction vortex under the near meso... then a new significant tornado almost instantaneous. This tornado became harder to follow. I watched it cross Interstate 57 from a bridge crossing the interstate. Caught it again rain wrapped in the town of Monee. Also caught a glipse of a fourth tornado that touched down briefly and caused EF1 damage for about a mile. I eventually had no choice but to give up and turn back around as I was heading into dense population and the meso had become totally wrapped in rain. We encountered a damage path in Richton Center where the tornado did EF2 damage. Took forever to make our way south because it seemed every highway we took was blocked off due to the damage path. Found one open highway finally, but a semi flew by and snagged some low hanging  powerlines and blew them all over the highway and ended those hopes. After an hour of frustration we took country backroads and finally met up with Interstate 57 in Peotone and made our way back south. I wound up doing a phone interview with The Weather Channel on the drive back. Got home around 10 and spent the next 12 hours dealing with getting video online and to local and national networks. Finally got to bed around 11 am the next day where I found my bed and took a coma. Click here to view video of the tornadoes!

Cresting the hill this is what I see crossing the road. Quickly pulled over and started filming. Lens kept fogging over because I had been running the a/c and we were sitting in td's of about 90/75F.

Thing was only a few minutes old and tearing things up. Power flashes occured just before this with debris flying through the air on the right side.

Adjusted a little bit further north. Going multiple vortex underneath now.

Really erie fun motion underneath there now. Whole meso above it was spinning like crazy. I'm thrilled that this did not hit anything more than barns and trees, but I'd be kinda curious as to what kind of damage it would have inflicted. Was pushing strong to violent motion in there now.

Reeeally fun motions now.

Obligatory highway crossing shot. All kinds of debris flying across there. I thought for a few seconds I could get a little closer up by those trees but I probably made the right choice. At some point in the video something good sized books it across near that power pole.

Main suction vortex on the back end gracefully slides by across the road now. This was probably one of the coolest things I've seen chasing.

Shrunk down for a little bit and I thought maybe we were about done.

Nope. Maxes out one more time to stovepipe status. Really good motion in the debris cloud now swirling around it.

Structure shot now after the first tornado. New wedge is underway down there below in the left center of this image. I lose it for a minute but am about to get a front row seat to a monster.

Huge tornado now near Wilton Center.

Not sure what these cars were thinking. They kept chugging forward.

Could hear the roar of the tornado now. Sounded more like a distant water fall.

I'm on the air live right now with News Radio 780 or something in the Chicago area pleading with everyone to get underground. I know one is frowned upon for attempting to rate a tornado but I stressed the fact that this was a strong and destructive tornado. Severe weather was not stressed in the forecast today so I don't think many residents would be expecting something like this.

Not good. It's never good when your shooting something like this between houses. We are getting ever so close to more and more dense population areas now.

Tornado was peaking now. Very rapid circulation in the debris cloud at the base. Thing was also changing shape very rapidly with pulsing expansion and shrinking.

Roping out now.

This is insane. Tornado ropes out. Now, this new area immediately puts down a tiny little vortex. I think, okay I have time to readjust now before this thing gets cranking.

I no sooner shut my camera off and put the car into drive before I look back up 10 seconds later and it's already a new wedge.

Tornado #4 now between those trees. This one was more brief. The third larger one is still on the ground and moving into the southern suburbs now.

Large rain wrapped tornado as I head north towards Park Forest, a southern suburb of Chicago.

Crossed a damage path in Richton Park. Did EF2 damage in this area. That's part of a roof in the road there in front of me.