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No one was killed when 11 twisters hit northern Illinois
Wednesday, but there was considerable damage in Elgin and Burr
Ridge.
Victor Gensini, an associate professor in the Department of
Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Northern Illinois
University, said conditions will be favorable for more storms in
the coming weeks, but the latest round could have been a lot
worse.
“This was kind of a run-of-the-mill event for northern Illinois
when you look at the broad scheme of what can happen and in many
ways we dodged a bullet,” said Gensini.
None of the tornadoes that hit northern Illinois this week were
above an E1 rating.
Gensini said it is only a matter of time before a catastrophic
tornado hits Illinois.
“As humans continue to build, as we continue to shape the
landscape and increase our footprint of the human-built
environment, these types of disasters will continue to increase
and get more magnified in the future,” said Gensini.
Illinois leads the nation in the number of tornadoes this year.
As for a link between tornadoes and climate change, Gensini said
it is tenuous at best.
“A lot more research is going to be needed to get a more robust
answer,” said Gensini. “Right now we are sort of uncertain.”
Illinois averages around 54 tornadoes per year based on data
between 1991-2020, with the peak frequency occurring between
April and June.
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