Tornado touchdown in southern Naperville

A tornado touchdown in southern Naperville Saturday morning resulted in damage to the roof of one commercial building and trees and tree limbs being downed, city officials reported.

The National Weather Service reported the touchdown occurred at 5:41 a.m. at Route 59 and 95th Street. It was the second tornado to occur in Naperville in the last 13 months.

Much of the worst damage occurred near the strip mall anchored by the Jewel store in the 2800 block of West 95th Street, where photos posted online show toppled trees and the sign for Naperville Shopping Plaza knocked over.

Gas leaks in commercial buildings in the area were reported and contained, a city news release said.

More than 250 people lost electricity near Washington Street and Gartner Road, but power was restored by 7 a.m. Saturday, the release said.

Most of the damage was in the Route 59 corridor, between White Eagle Drive and Hassert Boulevard. Among the blocks blocked by debris were Bluebird Lane, Coneflower Drive, Copperfield Drive, Snowbird Lane, Callery Road, Robert Lane and Gleneagles Road.

Suchitra Kukreja, who lives on Rosinweed Lane, east of Route 59 and just west of Riverview Farmstead Forest Preserve, said her home received more than $5,000 in damage — including a destroyed patio and a broken triple-pane window — about 3 a.m.

The wind was strong at the time, she said, but she had no idea of the extent of the storm until she heard the glass break on the first floor of the three-story house she shares with her husband and their two children, ages 11 and 16.

“All of a sudden I could hear the window smashing really loudly,” Kukreja said. “It was really bad but they gave us no notice. The sirens didn’t go off.”

Those came after the initial damage was done, about 3:30 or 4 a.m., she said. The family took shelter in their basement until after the touchdown more than an hour later, she said.

Kukreja was not alone in her anger that there had been no warning about the dangerous nature of the storm. Dozens of residents went on social media to post similar complaints.

“(W)e didn’t hear any sirens. I got warnings for severe thunderstorm on one of my weather apps. But not a tornado warning,” one person said.

“Where were the sirens, Naperville? We didn’t hear any either!” another wrote.

The last tornado to come through Naperville occurred the night of June 1, 2021.

At its peak, it was an EF-3 with sustained wind speeds as high as 140 mph. Several people were injured and 231 structures in Naperville were severely damaged, 19 of which were deemed uninhabitable by the city.

The Route 59 location of Saturday’s tornado touchdown is not far from the devastating tornado that occurred in Plainfield in 1993, killing 29 people and injuring 353.

ksorensen@tribpub.com