On the evening of June 20th, 2021, a tornado ripped through the city of Naperville, Illinois. The tornado caused significant damage to homes and businesses throughout the city and left many without power. In this blog post, we will discuss the events leading up to the tornado and explore the impact it had on Naperville.
The National Weather Service (NWS) first detected signs of a possible tornado forming in Will County around 7:30 pm on June 20th. By 8:00 pm, they had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northeastern Illinois and advised people to take shelter immediately. At 8:14 pm, NWS radar indicated that a tornado had formed near Plainfield and was heading towards Naperville at approximately 40 miles per hour. This storm was later classified as an EF-2 tornado with winds reaching up to 135 mph.
When the tornado touched down in Naperville at 8:20 pm, it caused extensive damage to homes and businesses throughout the city. Several buildings were destroyed or sustained major structural damage while trees were uprooted and power lines were knocked down. In addition, there were reports of cars being flipped over by the strong winds and objects such as trampolines being thrown hundreds of feet away from their original locations. Thankfully there were no fatalities reported but several people suffered minor injuries due to debris flying through the air during the storm.
In response to this disaster, local authorities declared a state of emergency for Naperville in order to provide assistance to those affected by the storm. This included bringing in supplies such as food and water for those who had been displaced from their homes as well as providing financial aid for those whose properties had been damaged or destroyed by the tornado. Additionally, volunteers from across the region came together in order to help clean up debris and provide emotional support for those affected by this tragedy.
The Naperville Tornado of June 2021 was an event that had a lasting impact on both individuals and businesses alike in this great city. While there is still much work that needs to be done in order to fully recover from this tragedy, we are thankful that no lives were lost during the storm and are heartened by how quickly our community came together in response to this disaster. We encourage anyone who may have been affected by this storm—or who would like to find out more information—to contact their local authorities or visit www.napervilletornadohelpcenter.org where they can get further assistance or resources related to recovering from this tragedy. Thank you for your time!
