Preparing for Spring's Severe Weather

APRIL 10, 2023

Spring in Chicago marks the start of tornado season and an increased chance of severe thunderstorms.

Nearly 80% of tornadoes in Illinois occur from April 1 through June 30, according to the National Weather Service, and there have already been multiple confirmed tornadoes in Illinois so far this year.

“Severe weather is, thankfully, one of the types of hazards that allow us some degree of advance warning,” said Jody Pradelski, with the University of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management.

In the event of a tornado warning, the best way you can stay safe is by taking shelter in an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.

For people who live or work in high rises, an interior stairwell is a safe location to shelter-in-place.

“You’re really trying to avoid broken glass, flying debris, things like that,” Pradelski said. “Most of the injuries and deaths that occur from weather events are from flying debris and broken glass.”

Contrary to popular belief, neither the city of Chicago nor Hyde Park are immune to tornadoes.

Pradelski pointed out that in 1967, one of the worst tornado outbreaks in Northern Illinois saw a tornado come within three and a half miles of the University of Chicago’s campus.

“The size of a tornado can be over a mile wide,” Pradelski said. “The fact it came within three and a half miles, that’s really, really close. And this was an EF-4 tornado that was extremely destructive.”

The National Weather Service has even gone so far as to say that Chicago is “overdue for a major tornado.”

The University of Chicago will issue a cAlert in the event of a tornado warning for the Hyde Park area, but Pradelski said a cAlert should not be your first form of receiving information about severe weather.

“It’s an additional warning mechanism,” she said. “You should have another method, like cellphone apps, weather apps, or even alerts from your TV or radio.”