Naperville: EF-0 Tornado Touches Down in Huntington Hills, Part of 17-Tornado Outbreak Across Northern Illinois

An EF-0 tornado touched down in Naperville on Thursday evening, June 11, carving a narrow path of snapped and uprooted trees through two residential neighborhoods before lifting in Lisle. No injuries or building damage were reported.

The National Weather Service confirmed the finding on Sunday after completing damage surveys. The twister landed at 8:04 p.m. near Gartner Road and Oleson Drive and traveled northeast for about 1.3 miles before dissipating at 8:06 p.m.

A narrow path through two neighborhoods

The tornado moved through the Huntington Hills and Oleson Estates subdivisions, leaving a damage path of 50 to 75 yards wide, according to the National Weather Service report.

"The worst damage was when the tornado crossed Naper Boulevard," said Brett Borchardt, a National Weather Service senior meteorologist. "There's about a 150-yard swath there of trees that were snapped and uprooted, and then the tornado lifted just west of Benedictine University in Lisle."

The tornado broadened to about 150 yards wide as it crossed Naper Boulevard and passed over the Huntington Apartments, according to the NWS survey. Peak winds reached 80 mph.

The weakest rating, but still dangerous

An EF-0 is the lowest rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which ranges from EF-0 to EF-5. EF-0 tornadoes have winds between 65 and 80 mph. EF-5 tornadoes exceed 200 mph.

Borchardt cautioned that the lowest rating does not mean the storm was harmless.

Part of a massive outbreak

The Naperville tornado was one of at least 29 tornadoes confirmed across Illinois and northwest Indiana from the June 11 storm system, according to National Weather Service preliminary reports.

The NWS Chicago area of responsibility confirmed 20 tornadoes, including:

• EF-3 tornadoes from Long Point to Streator, Illinois and from Hebron to Kouts, Indiana
• EF-2 tornadoes in Merrillville to Hobart, Indiana and Hickory Hills to Garfield Ridge, Illinois
• EF-1 tornadoes in Wenona, Graymont to Dwight, Paxton/Loda, Ludlow, Wellington, Bartlett, and Boswell to Atkinson, Indiana
• Multiple EF-0 and EF-U (unknown intensity) tornadoes across the region

The Quad Cities weather office confirmed three additional tornadoes in western Illinois of unknown intensity that caused no known damage.

A record year for tornadoes

The 17 tornadoes in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana brought the area's tally for 2026 to 44, already the third most of any year since recordkeeping began in 1950, according to the National Weather Service.

Naperville's tornado history

Naperville has faced stronger tornadoes in recent years.

• In June 2021, an EF-3 tornado struck northern Naperville, damaging dozens of homes and injuring several people. The worst destruction occurred in the Ranch View neighborhood.
• In July 2024, an EF-1 tornado touched down in south Naperville with peak winds of up to 100 mph. It traveled over 19 miles and was on the ground for 23 minutes, but no one was injured.

More severe weather expected

Borchardt said the National Weather Service was forecasting another threat of severe weather for the Chicago area.

"We are looking at a threat for severe weather on Wednesday. At this point in time, the worst of the weather is favored to go south of Naperville, but it's going to be another one of those days just to be weather aware, just in case that threat area moves northward," Borchardt said.

The NWS said its tornado ratings remain preliminary and that additional damage surveys and analysis would continue in the coming days.