(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — An expert on weather in the Chicago-area says the EF-1 tornado that touched down in Rogers Park Monday is a rare occurrence — but not unprecedented.
Brian Leatherwood, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville, says the last confirmed tornado to touch down in the Windy City was Labor Day in 2018.
That relatively weak tornado caused a lot of tree damage in the Garfield Park area.
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Leatherwood said he’s only known of seven confirmed tornadoes that have touched down in Cook County since 2010. None has been very strong.
He has theories about why tornadoes are so rare here — and weak. Lake Michigan and the density of construction on land may reduce the ability of tornadoes to form, he said.
Another theory: Chicago may just be lucky.