Tornadoes that struck Illinois produced some ominous photos
An intensifying storm system swept through Illinois on Tuesday evening, spawning several unusually photogenic tornadoes.
The severe thunderstorms were most intense in the central portion of the state, including the area near Springfield and Peoria, with a weakening trend noted as they moved east-northeast during an evening when the nation's political press was focused on the results of the state's presidential primaries.
This video of a severe thunderstorm in Macomb, Illinois showed the formation of a damaging tornado as well as the aftermath.
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This dramatic video shows the formation of the Macomb tornado as the rotation of what is known as a mesocyclone eventually spawns a funnel that reaches the ground.
One of the most classic looking tornadoes occurred after sunset, near the town of New Berlin, Illinois.
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At one point on Tuesday evening, there were a half-dozen tornado warnings in effect in Illinois as multiple supercell thunderstorms (thunderstorms with sustained rotating updrafts, capable of causing large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes) lumbered across the state.
A total of 11 tornado reports were received on Tuesday, although some tornadoes may have been reported more than once, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. In addition, there were also numerous wind and hail reports.
The storm system responsible for the severe weather will show its wintry side on Wednesday, bringing up to a foot of snow to Minnesota, while blasting Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin with winds gusting to more than 60 miles per hour at times.
The storms eventually struck Chicago, with lightning that struck downtown skyscrapers, possibly including, ironically, the Trump Tower. Trump won the state’s Republican primary on Tuesday.
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Andrew Freedman is Mashable's Senior Editor for Science and Special Projects. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the "Capital Weather Gang" blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
