EF-3 Tornado Among Multiple Twisters That Ripped Through Illinois and Indiana, Leaving Communities in Ruins

A catastrophic outbreak of tornadoes tore across Illinois and northwest Indiana on Thursday, June 11, 2026, leaving behind flattened homes, downed power lines, and shell-shocked communities describing the aftermath as "like a war zone." By Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service had confirmed an EF-3 tornado — packing winds between 136 and 165 mph — struck Kouts in Porter County, Indiana, making it one of the most powerful twisters to hit the region in years.

What We Know About the Tornadoes

Survey crews dispatched Friday confirmed at least two tornadoes so far, with assessments still ongoing across multiple communities. In addition to the EF-3 in Porter County, an EF-1 tornado was confirmed near Dwight, Illinois, in Livingston County. Additional survey teams were working through damage in Streator, Bartlett, and Naperville, Illinois, with more ratings expected in the coming days.

The hardest-hit communities include:

• Kouts, Indiana (Porter County): EF-3 level damage confirmed, with winds up to 165 mph.
• Streator, Illinois: Eleven homes were damaged, several completely destroyed. Four people were transported to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. A man was rescued from the rubble of his home and was found with a possible broken leg. The Red Cross established an assistance center at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church on Broadway.
• Merrillville, Indiana: Officials reported more than 200 buildings damaged. Aerial footage showed massive destruction across the town. Andrean High School sustained widespread damage, with nearly every window blown out and the roof heavily damaged.
• Hebron, Indiana: Also cited by the National Weather Service as an area of notable damage.

Power Outages and Widespread Impact

The storms knocked out electricity for hundreds of thousands of residents across the region. Early Friday morning, more than 148,600 ComEd customers in Illinois were without power, while over 61,900 NIPSCO customers in northwest Indiana were also in the dark. The outages forced the closure of both the Markham and Bridgeview courthouses.

Survivors Speak

For those who lived through it, the experience was terrifying. In Merrillville, one resident described watching her roof disappear and her windows shatter. "It was definitely one of the scariest five minutes of my and my kids' lives," said another resident, adding that neighbors came together to check on elderly community members in the immediate aftermath.

In Streator, survivor Alice Schultz — whose home was damaged by a tornado back in 2010 — sheltered in place with her family and emerged relatively unscathed, though her neighbors were not as fortunate. "We got a second chance — some people don't," she said.

Survey Crews Continue Work

The National Weather Service made clear that storm surveys are expected to continue beyond Friday as crews work to determine the full number, strength, and paths of all tornadoes that touched down. Communities in and around the Chicago area braced for a lengthy recovery, with debris-strewn streets, damaged infrastructure, and displaced residents facing the daunting task of rebuilding.

As officials tally the full extent of the destruction, emergency management agencies and organizations like the Red Cross are mobilizing to support those who lost their homes. The confirmed EF-3 rating in Porter County underscores the severity of Thursday's storm system and signals that recovery efforts across the region could take weeks or longer.