Tornado warnings and destructive thunderstorm alerts swept through Glen Ellyn, Carol Stream and surrounding DuPage County communities Tuesday morning, bringing wind gusts up to 80 mph just 15 days after an EF-0 tornado tore through Glen Ellyn.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for southern DuPage County at 10:14 a.m. Aug. 11, followed by a destructive severe thunderstorm warning at 10:20 a.m. that specifically named Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn and Bloomingdale. By 10:33 a.m., an updated tornado warning placed Carol Stream and Glen Ellyn directly in the storm's path.
"There is an increasing threat that an intense organized line of storms capable producing destructive winds in excess of 80 mph in impact the area Tuesday between 9am and 3pm," NWS Chicago posted on X Monday afternoon, hours before the system arrived.
A severe thunderstorm watch had been in effect for all of DuPage County until 2 p.m. Tuesday. The NWS rated the area at a Level 3 of 5 enhanced risk for damaging winds, with an elevated flooding risk and a Level 1 tornado risk, according to its hazardous weather outlook.
Doppler radar and automated rain gauges detected rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour as the line of intense thunderstorms moved through, prompting a flood advisory for DuPage County until 1:30 p.m.
The storm system was capable of producing straight-line winds equivalent to an EF-0 tornado, WGN-TV reported. The City of Warrenville, also in DuPage County, urged residents to have more than one way to receive weather alerts and to never drive through flooded roadways.
Still recovering from July 27
The Tuesday storms arrived while Glen Ellyn was still clearing debris from the July 27 EF-0 tornado that struck with peak winds near 80 mph. That storm knocked out power to more than 530,000 ComEd customers across the Chicago area and downed trees throughout Glen Ellyn and Carol Stream.
The Village of Glen Ellyn confirmed the July 27 tornado on its official website two days after the storm, noting that village staff, first responders, utility crews and contractors were continuing cleanup efforts. Road closures included Hill Avenue between Walnut and Acorn and Forest Avenue between Maple and Linden. The village's next branch and brush pickup is not scheduled until September.
The July 27 outbreak contributed to Illinois' record-breaking 191 tornado touchdowns so far in 2026, according to the Daily Herald.
What's next
No confirmed tornado touchdowns or damage totals for Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Carol Stream or Glendale Heights from Tuesday's storms were available as of publication.
The stormy pattern is not over. The NWS hazardous weather outlook warned that additional rounds of thunderstorms with a risk of severe weather and flash flooding would persist through at least Sunday, Aug. 16.
