Tornadoes tear through homes and topple power lines in areas outside Chicago

StormsTornadoes tear through homes and topple power lines in areas outside ChicagoWidespread flooding and power outages were reported in states across the Midwest, while thousands of flights have also been impacted by severe storms.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleMultiple tornadoes leave a path of destruction across the Midwest02:52Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 12, 2026, 8:25 AM EDTBy Jamie GrayMore than a dozen tornadoes tore through towns across Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin overnight, shredding homes and tearing up trees and power lines. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.After videos posted to social media Thursday evening showed a massive funnel cloud approaching Streator, Illinois State Police reported “heavy damage” from a tornado that touched down in the city, which sits around 100 miles southwest of Chicago.“It sounded like a train was going through. It blew my front window out,” Streator resident Kathy Spitznagle told NBC News on Thursday, adding that she took shelter in her bathroom when she received a tornado warning on her phone.Video filmed by a local journalist Thursday showed police pulling an injured man out of the rubble of his destroyed home, as he complained of a possible broken leg.No deaths had been reported in the city of around 12,000, Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said in a statement Friday.Eyewitness footage shows a tornado in Streator, Illinois, on Thursday.Nashyla Teamer / via ReutersDrone footage taken over the nearby village of Dwight showed the violent path of another tornado, with a number of homes seen partially or totally destroyed.Elsewhere, police in the city of Merrillville, Indiana, a town about 33 miles southeast of Chicago, warned residents to take cover as a funnel cloud approached. By Thursday evening, downed trees and power lines blocked the streets, homes were torn up and part of a high school’s roo...