Thirty-five years ago, the F5 1990 Plainfield Tornado devastated the area, killing 29 people, injuring more than 353, with around $380 million today in damages across Plainfield, Oswego, Crest Hill and Joliet.

A former Herald-News paper boy recalls the day the Plainfield tornado hit his family's home in August 1990.

The tornado Aug. 28, 1990 remains the only F5 rated tornado documented in the United States during the month of August. No advanced warnings or watches were issued for the possibility of a tornado on that day.

Readers share their stories in their own words from that day on Aug. 28, 1990

After 35 years, Jerry Conner still remembers traveling with fellow firefighters from Beecher to Plainfield in response to the 1990 tornado that claimed 29 lives and injured hundreds of people. 

The F5 tornado on Aug. 28, 1990, started inear Oswego in Kendall County before cutting through Plainfield, Crest Hill and Joliet in Will County. A total of 29 people – none in Kendall County – were killed in the tornado and another 353 injured in Kendall and Will counties.

While the storms brewed overhead, the Yorkville and Plano area was able to weather another summer storm without significant damage or flooding.

McHenry County is looking to collect storm damage data while towns begin debris clean-up from the strong thunderstorms that knocked out power to thousands.

The storms over the past two days have left a lot of standing water in low-lying ditches, fields, and even roadways across the region.

McHenry County area was coping with back-to-back dangerous storms Saturday and Monday that brought brought tornado warnings and dangerous winds.

A thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Lee, Ogle, DeKalb and Kane counties, according to the National Weather Service.

Severe thunderstorms with the risk for damaging winds and even tornadoes could hit northern Illinois on Monday afternoon and evening, the National Weather Service warned.

About 1/3 of Fox River Grove remained without power Sunday afternoon after storms rolled through the McHenry County region Saturday afternoon and evening.

ComEd reported nearly 74,000 customers across northeastern Illinois were without power Sunday morning.

ComEd reported more than 60,000 customers from Freeport to Joliet were without power following a Saturday storm.

A strong thunderstorm rolled through McHenry County on Saturday, Aug. 16, downing trees and interrupting power.

Illinois saw 142 tornadoes in 2024. With weather teams stretched thin because of federal budget cuts, forecasters warn the next storm might slip through the cracks

Scattered showers and thunderstorms could bring heavy downpours Monday evening capable of causing localized flooding across Will, Kankakee and Grundy counties.

Heavy rain with multiple rounds of thunderstorms are possible Sunday through Monday following a few days of hot, humid conditions in the Illinois Valley.

Get ready for a hot weekend across northern Illinois as triple-digit heat levels are expected by Friday

Lingering wildfire smoke is the reason for an air quality alert issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for a large portion of northern Illinois

One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast

Ogle County residents and even livestock went to the water to try to beat the heat on Monday, July 28, 2025. Temperatures rose into the 90s and, coupled with high humidity, pushed the heat index into the 100s.

Dangerously hot and humid weather will persist in northern Illinois through Tuesday, with heat index values forecast to reach between 105 and 110 degrees in many locations

Parts of northern Illinois are under a Flood Watch through Saturday evening, with the first round of storms expected between 6 a.m. and noon and a second round from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Lightning is being attributed as the cause for three Joliet residences catching fire on Thursday afternoon.

The Kendall County Health Department recommends the following cooling centers for those who will be active outdoors during this period of intense heat.

The Will County Emergency Management Agency issued a heat advisory as the heat index is expected to exceed 100 degrees beginning Wednesday. Cooling centers can found throughout Will County.

The Illinois Tollway has launched 24-hour hot weather patrols to deploy additional crews to assist drivers stranded during the dangerously hot and humid conditions expected to continue through Friday

Dangerous heat index values of 105 to 115 degrees are expected Wednesday and Thursday across northern Illinois

Storms on Wednesday afternoon and evening in northern Illinois may produce damaging winds, brief tornadoes, and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch across much of northern Illinois until 11 p.m. Friday.

A Lake in the Hills garage was hit by lightning during Thursday's storm, one of several strikes reported in McHenry County

The National Weather Service says threats for strong to severe thunderstorms and flash flooding will continue across northern Illinois through Saturday.

Severe storms that rolled through McHenry County Thursday night seem to be the culprit of multiple responses from emergency departments, many of which were fires that appear to have been started by lightning.

The legislation would make NWS meteorologists and support staff “mission critical” public safety workers, giving them the same employment protections as airport Transportation Security Administration agents and making it harder for future administrations to lay them off.

The greatest flooding risk is expected near and north of Interstate 80, according to the National Weather Service

Temperatures pushed into the upper 80s and lower 90s during the first two weeks of summer. Check out photos of kids cooling off in communities across the Illinois Valley.

Here’s a look at some of the most deadly flooding nationwide in the past 25 years

Families sifted through waterlogged debris Sunday and stepped inside empty cabins at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp ripped apart by flash floods that washed homes off their foundations and killed at least 78 people in central Texas

In a news release issued Saturday, July 5, 2025, the police department announced what to do if inclement weather appears and people need to take shelter quickly.

Last year, 145 people died in flash floods, according to the weather service. On average over the past 30 years, floods have claimed 127 lives annually

Crews searched through the dark early Saturday for two dozen children from a girls’ camp and many others still missing after a wall of water rushed down a river in the Texas Hill Country during a powerful storm that killed at least 24 people

For the second time in 24 hours, a pavement blowout caused a portion of Route 2 to be closed Wednesday evening, July 2, 2025, between Oregon and Byron.

Two pavement blowouts caused a portion of Illinois Route 2 to be closed between Oregon and Byron early Tuesday evening, July 1, 2025.

At least 14 counties across northern Illinois are experiencing moderate drought conditions as of July 1

Tropical Storm Flossie strengthened off Mexico’s southwestern Pacific coast on Monday as the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Barry dumped rain on eastern Mexico

After a slight dip from summer heat on Friday, the Illinois Valley is expected to see hot and humid conditions over the weekend, with a chance of storms by Sunday.

Theodore Street in Joliet buckled during the intense heat this week. Still, the city of Joliet says problems like that should not be a widespread issue locally because most streets are asphalt paved.

With temperatures reaching well into the 90's the last few days, DeKalb County residents have had to find ways to stay cool.