Tornado reported to have touched down in Huntley, NWS says

Alyce Donoho spent much of Thursday cleaning up her yard in Huntley after Wednesday’s storm barreled through damaging her gazebo, vegetable garden, roof and lights her husband Earl had just strung hours earlier.

“In one blink of an eye, things can change,” said Donoho, who has lived in her townhome in the 11000 block of Douglas Ave. since 1996. “I’m just glad no one got hurt.”

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A damaged apartment building in Huntley on Thursday, July 13, 2023, after a possible tornado took the roof off the building in Huntley on Wednesday. (Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

Multiple tornadoes were tracked between 5 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, part of a storm system that swept across the region, downing trees and power lines and damaging homes and businesses, the National Weather Service said.

The National Weather Service confirmed at least 11 tornadoes touched down in northern Illinois after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, including two near Elgin, two in Lake County, one in DuPage County, one in Cook County, one in Kendall County and one in McHenry County.

An EF-1 tornado, with wind speeds of about 90 mph, touched down near Illinois Route 20 and traveled about 6 1/2 miles east until it lifted near Leland Lane in Huntley, National Weather Service of Chicago Meteorologist Zachary Yack said.

Two EF-0 tornadoes, with speeds of about 80 mph, touched down in the Barrington and Long Grove areas.

An EF-1 is considered moderate and typically has winds speeds between 86 and 110 miles per hour.

Donoho said a weather station in her backyard registered wind gusts at 68 mph during the time she and her husband were in their basement after hearing the sirens.

After the storm, Donoho saw multiple fire trucks and police down at her neighbor’s house on the corner of Douglas Avenue and Timer Drive.

On Thursday morning, the two-story house on the corner was blocked off with yellow tape. Its roof was partially torn off, a tree was uprooted and crews from the village of Huntley were surveying the damage.

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A large tree branch went through a roof of a home in Huntley during severe weather on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. The National Weather Service on Thursday confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Huntley during the storm. (Courtesy of Dan Winters)

An apartment building next door also sustained damage.

Patio furniture was tossed about in many backyards and broken tree limbs and debris piled up along sidewalks and roadways.

Over at Storsafe Self Storage on Giordano Court, there were large mangled pieces of metal torn off from the facility’s rooftop.

Employees at the storage business declined to give their names, but they said they began fixing up damaged storage units Wednesday night following the storm and have notified their customers.

They said they were just grateful no one was hurt.

Tornado sirens and alerts began sounding off about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday as the sky grew darker, wind gusted and rain thrashed against buildings.

Mallory Winters, who was working at Goodfella’s Beef in the 10000 block of Illinois Route 47 in Huntley, said the sky got very dark, very quickly and the wind gusts blew open the door to the restaurant.

She could not say if she saw actual debris flying through the air, as many others reported, because the rain was thick and she could see nothing else.

The power flickered on and off once, causing the gambling machines to go out for about a half an hour. The cash register and kitchen equipment rebooted quickly and the restaurant remained open.

The tornado warning remained in effect until 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, as the storm traveled east and affected Huntley, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake, Cary and Fox River Grove.

The storm started in Huntley and traveled east at 35 mph, the NWS reported. Fallen trees, roof damage and other debris were reported in Huntley in areas near Route 47 and Reed Road.

A total of nine residences reported damage in McHenry County Wednesday and there have been no reports of any injuries or deaths, according to Huntley Fire Department Chief Eric Bentley and McHenry County Emergency Management Director David Christensen.

Those who have lost their homes may contact the American Red Cross for emergency housing services. Anyone in need of housing help can call 211, Christensen said.

People can report damage from the storm on the McHenry County Emergency Management website.

Yack said for Thursday night and Friday, though storms with heavy rains and gusty winds were expected, tornadoes were not.