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Storm Ravages Northern Illinois

10:49 PM CDT

I live in the town of Yorkville part time.  It was about 9:30 when my family and I ran in the bedroom away from windows as hailstones pelted the windows, wind whipped through the trees, and rain flooded the roads.

Ten minutes later, the storm was over.  We went oustide to take a look, and, from looking out the window, the only damage was a downed apple tree.

We were wrong.

A one hundred-foot pine tree was uprooted by the forces of a powerful microburst, which is a dramatic and swift change in the atmosphere.  We saw it and gasped-this tree was over one hundred years old.  (We live in a very old farmhouse)  The pine tree next to it was left untouched by the forces of Mother Nature.

A tree overlooking our garage fell into it, fortunately not on to our cars.  Immediately, we moved the vehicles to a different part of the very large property closer to the pull-barn.

As we walked to the large field south of our house, we saw a large tree with a branch peeled off of the side.  This branch carried our wooden swing on which we sat in our spare time.

In the front of the house near the road, we saw that despite the power outage, there was nothing wrong with the powerlines.  A tree in the front had fallen also.

The deck containing our outdoor sets was full of debris and leaves.  Chairs were blown against the house and cushions were scattered everywhere.

Wooden logs placed in our fire pit previously were  blown two hundred feet away near the pine tree (the one that was still standing).

Our driveway was flooded with rain water and mud.

As you can see, this storm caused mass damage among this old farm house, and  most likely around the rest of our town.

The Severe Thunderstorm Warning has expired.  Tomorrow's forecast calls for a 40% chance of thunderstorms.  Any of the storms that develop have the potential to be strong or severe.  Stay wary and safe, and watch for weather alerts here.

Thanks for reading, and I most likely will have pictures on here Saturday.  

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