Feb. tornado outbreak concerns Red Cross volunteers for severe weather season ahead

CHICAGO — Recovery efforts continued Thursday in areas impacted by Tuesday’s tornado outbreak, and now volunteers are concerned that the outbreak is setting the stage for the upcoming severe weather season.

According to deputy disaster response Manager Hank Welch with the American Red Cross, the amount of tornadoes recorded in Illinois this February is putting him and other volunteers on their toes for severe weather season, which typically starts around a month from now.

“We’ve had now 15 tornadoes in February and, ya know, what’s April going to bring?” Welch said.

Ten of those 15 tornadoes touched down in Northern Illinois Tuesday night — With another touching down in the Quad Cities — Causing damages in several communities, including Mundelein, where an apartment building near East Orchard Street and Washington Boulevard saw its roof torn off and dozens of residents displaced.

“There’s a lot of people that had been there 13, 15, 18 years, so they’ve got a lot of memories there,” Welch said.

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The reported EF-1 tornado that hit Mundelein had a very short path with peak winds of 110 mph, which limited damage to the two-story apartment complex, but displaced 59 people, with 20 of those residents staying at the Community Presbyterian Church in Mundelein.

“Anybody that was effected by that tornado can come have breakfast, lunch or dinner or whatever,” Welch said.

120 tornadoes were reported in Illinois in 2023 — Nearly triple the number reported in 2022. Welch said if that trend continues into this severe weather season, he expects Red Cross volunteers will be busier than ever.

The Red Cross also warned homeowners, as we move into severe weather season, to be aware of scammers, like contractors offering to help with repairs.

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