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By Joe Edwards
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Tornadoes hit communities in Illinois and northwest Indiana on Tuesday, with multiple homes destroyed and power lines downed.
A tornado touched down in Illinois' Kankakee County, around 48 miles south of Chicago, before traveling northeast, according to Trooper Jayme Bufford, a spokesperson for Illinois State Police cited by CBS News.
Videos posted on social media show a twister moving near Kankakee River, with hail pounding the water.
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City of Kankakee officials said in an update posted to social media that no deaths or missing persons had been reported in the city and that only seven minor injuries had been reported.
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"Earlier this evening a tornado traveled through the southwest portion of the City of Kankakee causing damage to industrial sites and commercial buildings along the Route 45/52 corridor. Additionally, several power lines and poles were severed," city officials said.
"The storm proceeded northeast damaging several homes in unincorporated Kankakee along River Road crossing the Kankakee River near Elmwood Drive and Waldron Road. Other areas affected include Aroma Park."
Officials also reported flooding in several streets.
As of reporting, over 4,000 homes and businesses were without power in Kankakee County, according to tracking website poweroutage.us.
In a Wednesday email to Newsweek, forecasters at AccuWeather noted that thunderstorms with hail between five and six inches in diameter were reported in Illinois late Tuesday, which if confirmed would be the largest hailstones on record in the state, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile in Indiana, another apparent tornado hit Lake Village, damaging homes and causing injuries, Indiana State Police Corporal Eric Rot told CBS News.
As per the outlet, multiple houses were destroyed and there was "a lot of damage," according to Newton County Sheriff Shannon Cothran.
CBS also reported Lake Township Fire chief Rob Churchill said the community "took a direct hit" and had urged people to steer clear of the area.
As of Wednesday morning, tornado watches from the National Weather Service (NWS) are in place until 12 p.m. EDT for dozens of counties across Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky.
These alerts signify that tornadoes could develop within the watch area and in nearby locations.
According to the NWS, isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms are anticipated from the Ark-La-Tex region northeast through to the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday.
The agency warned that these storms could bring "heavy to excessive rain that could pose a flooding threat from east Texas into upstate New York."
Update, 3/11/2026, 9:49 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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