Draft:2026 Aroma Park–Lake Village tornado
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During the evening hours of March 10, 2026, a long-lived, destructive, and intense tornado that was part of a large outbreak tracked 35.62 miles through portions of Kankakee County, Illinois, and Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana, United States. The tornado inflicted widespread damage in far south portions of Kankakee and throughout Aroma Park in Illinois, before crossing into Indiana and impacting the southern part of Lake Village. The tornado then inflicted minor damage just outside of Roselawn and in Forest City. The tornado killed three people along its track, with one fatality occurring in Aroma Park and two occurring near Lake Village. An additional 11 people suffered injuries, and around 600 buildings sustained damage, 62 of which were completely destroyed.
.png) The tornado, as seen from Kankakee Community College | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 10, 2026, 7:21 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00) |
| Dissipated | March 10, 2026, 8:39 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00) |
| Duration | 1 hour, 18 minutes |
| EF3 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Max width | 1,550 yards (0.88 mi; 1.42 km) |
| Path length | 35.62 miles (57.32 km) |
| Highest winds | 160 mph (260 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Injuries | 11 |
| Damage | Unknown |
Areas affected | Kankakee County, Illinois, particularly Kankakee and Aroma Park; Newton County, Indiana, particularly Lake Village; Jasper County, Indiana, particularly Forest City |
Houses destroyed | 62 |
| Satellite tornadoes | |
| Tornadoes | 4 |
Max. rating | EF1 tornado |
Part of the Tornado outbreak of March 10–12, 2026 and Tornadoes of 2026 | |
Meteorological synopsis
Synoptics
An extremely warm airmass moved into Illinois by March 10, 2026. Multiple temperature records had been broken due to the heat. A stationary front extended from Iowa to Indiana. Amble CAPE was present, being up to 3,000 J/kg. High wind shear, up to 50 knots, allowed for rotating supercells. Low-level wind shear was also in excess of 35 knots.[1][2]
Storm Prediction Center Outlook
In the Storm Prediction Center’s 3:00 P.M. CDT outlook, a moderate risk of severe weather was outlined. The moderate risk extended from central Illinois to western Indiana. A 15% risk of tornadoes was also outlined.[3] At 3:55 P.M. CDT, a tornado watch was issued. The watch highlighted the risk for scattered damaging wind events and tornadoes. By 4:30 P.M. CDT, a Mesoscale Discussion was issued, it warned of developing supercells mainly producing large hail and significant tornadoes.[4]