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A powerful storm system swept through northern Illinois on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, including significant damage in the Pontiac area.
The National Weather Service confirmed that five tornadoes touched down during the storm.
In Livingston County, a microburst was also reported.
One EF-1 tornado was identified on the northwest side of Pontiac in Livingston County.
Another EF-1 tornado was confirmed east of Clifton in Iroquois County, Illinois.
There was an EF-0 tornado west of Clifton.
There was an EF-0 tornado northeast of Clifton and there was a tornado of unknown intensity due to no known damage in Martinton, Illinois.
The National Weather Service sent a survey team to Livingston, Ford and Iroquois counties Monday to investigate up to six areas damaged by possible tornadoes.
Massive tree branches broke from a tree and landed on a home, seriously damaging the roof. The homeowner said it knocked out their power Sunday for about eight hours.
“It was just unnerving, especially I had no idea any weather was coming through like that,” said Candice White, whose home was damaged.
White said she took shelter in her bathroom Sunday, when what felt like, out of nowhere, she said, the sky turned dark.
“All of a sudden, it’s just really loud like a big gust is coming through,” White said. “I look out the window as I’m sitting on the couch and it’s just a wall of gray and I run back to the bathroom and I’m like I should probably be taking cover.”
Not long after that, the tree broke in her front yard and landed on top of her home.
Crews are using heavy machinery to clear all the debris in the Motorola subdivision, where White lives. Heavy winds blowing around snow made things even more difficult.
Roofs were torn off several homes, with pieces in front yards. Trampolines were strewn about, trees toppled and mailboxes buried.
Roads are even blocked from so much debris, and power lines were also affected by Sunday’s storms.
Over in Livingston County, about 23 miles away, the village of Forrest was also battered.
Part of the roof was torn off the gymnasium at Prairie Central Junior High School.
Luckily, between the weekend and it being winter break, no one was inside at the time.
“We got some water damage on the inside but for now it looks like most of the damage was contained to the gymnasium,” Prairie Central Schools Superintendent Brian Quam said. “The educational spaces are in good shape and unaffected.”
Crews were out all morning long cleaning up Monday. They had several more homes to reach in the neighborhood and a long way to go.
Meanwhile, Monday got off to a very windy and cold start, with some wind gusts over 60 mph recorded in parts of the area.
The winds combined with light snow and below-zero wind chills to create a slick commute across the area Monday morning.
The cold weather is set to continue this week, with flurries Tuesday afternoon and light evening snow on Wednesday.
Berrien County in Michigan and LaPorte County in Indiana could see several inches of snow accumulation Monday, ABC7 AccuWeather Meteorologist Mark McGinnis said.
