Tornadoes, strong storms roar through parts of Illinois

Multiple tornadoes and strong thunderstorms barreled through parts of Illinois on Thursday evening, part of a multiday rash of severe weather churning through the Midwest.

The National Weather Service alerted to a particularly dangerous situation Thursday evening for parts of north-central Illinois, between Peoria and Chicago, due to a large and destructive tornado.

Illinois State Police said a tornado touched down in the city limits of Streator, a city of about 12,000 people roughly 80 miles southwest of Chicago.

Damage was reported, and troopers responded to downed power lines and gas leaks, state police said.

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A family reunification center for displaced residents and separated families was set up at Streator City Hall, state police said.

During the height of the severe weather, more than 1,400 flights nationwide were canceled, with Chicago seeing the biggest impact.

At one point, the air traffic control tower at Chicago's Midway airport was evacuated due a tornado warning.

Overall, more than 90 million people from the Plains to the Great Lakes and into the northeast were on alert for severe weather Thursday.

It's the second day in a row severe weather has roiled parts of the Midwest. In the 24 hours leading up to Thursday's storms, there were already 16 reported tornadoes across five states, including Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois.

The NWS Storm Prediction Center had upgraded the severe weather risk for Thursday to a level 4 of 5 "moderate risk" for parts of eastern Iowa, north-central Illinois and far southern Wisconsin -- including Chicago, Peoria, Davenport, Cedar Rapids and Kenosha.