This day had shown the potential to have some severe t'storm risk in the days leading up to the event, but things really didn't take off potential wise until the night before the event, with potential ramping up into the day of the event as well. Some of the questions revolving around the potential was how would early day clouds/rain/t'storm activity affect things, how would capping advecting in affect things, and specifics regarding an MCV expected to move through.

This day really didn't look like a potential chase day until the night before the event, with it a then slam dunk chase day by late morning after watching how the aforementioned issues would be resolved. With an MCV moving eastward along the SW Wisconsin and NW Illinois border and scattered t'storms starting to develop along the border as well, I ended up heading out west with the initial target of DeKalb IL during the early afternoon. After waiting around for a while, things started to take off during the mid-afternoon hours, with several supercell t'storms developing.

The first supercell of interest was north of Rochelle IL. After a bit of hesitation, I ended up heading a bit northwest to intercept this supercell t'storm. Along the short drive a tornado was reported near Esmond IL, which I ended up witnessing from a distance just before it ended. Finally fully in position on the supercell, another tornado formed, which I followed for it's entire life south of Kirkland IL. After this tornado weakened, I sat for a bit between this lead supercell and another one that had developed behind it. After a bit of hesitation and waiting, I decided to try to catch back up to this first supercell, which had produced the first two tornadoes, as it was looking more organized visually and on radar once again. Driving along try to catch back up, another tornado was reported with it near Burlington IL, and at that point I realized I was not going to be able to catch back up ahead of the supercell. Thus, I quickly turned around and headed back west to the next supercell that had developed and was already tornado warned. Along the drive, a tornado was reported north of Creston IL, which I was able to see from a distance as I approached. Closing in, the tornado ended just as I was driving up to it, as it was tracking on IL Route 64. At this time this was the only supercell with any really potential still immediately nearby, and it was already beginning to cycle and attempt to ramp up again. I continued following this still tornado warned supercell eastward through Sycamore, where it quickly ramped up in a field across from me on the east side of Sycamore. I headed south a bit to get a better vantage point and have better road options east, and while doing so a new developing tornado passed right over me. As I stopped once again about a half of a mile south of my previous position a tornado was now on the ground, tearing through a farmstead. This tornado lasted for several minutes as it moved southeast, within a mile of my location during it's entire life. After this tornado ended, I quickly headed east to keep up with the supercell, with another brief tornado having occurred along the way. Still tracking eastward with this supercell, I observed another larger tornado in the rain, southwest of Virgil IL. This tornado was in the rain, eventually disappearing and ending. Continuing east with the supercell into the more urban western Chicago suburbs, chasing became difficult and I dropped off of this supercell in St. Charles IL, but not before observing a lowering/rotation with it as it passed. At this time another tornado warned supercell was approaching from the west, so I made a short jog back west to watch as it also came into St. Charles. This supercell also had a lowering/rotation as it passed. At this point it was getting later in the evening, some of the main activity was now in the Chicago metro and much further southwest, so I ended the chase.

Some pictures and video from this chase can be viewed below. Additional pictures can be found in the 2021 photography section and additional videos can be found in the 2021 video section.

This day was part of a multi-day period of severe t'storm potential across the region, but didn't show as being chase worthy until the day or so before. The main question heading into the day was placement of a frontal boundary, timing of multiple disturbances moving through, and potential cloud/precipitation debris from the previous night.

My girlfriend and I departed home around 11AM, with an initial target of near Lincoln, IL. Shortly after leaving, some initial t'storm development occurred along our path of travel on I-55, across portions of Northeast and Eastern Illinois. Some of this activity became severe t'storm and tornado warned, showing a bit of rotation. We intercepted our first tornado warned t'storm near Gardner. This t'storm was organized at first with a slight lowering, but then quickly weakened as it pushed east (Though it would eventually re-strengthen and organize once again to the east). After leaving the first t'storm, we dropped south on Route 47 and intercepted a pair of t'storms near Forrest. The lead storm had a brief funnel cloud before moving out of view, while the second t'storm developed a small wall cloud/lowering, before we decided to drop off of the t'storm. By this point the main focus was turning towards an area of t'storms that had developed across Central and Southwestern Illinois, with it pushing northeastward towards much of Central Illinois. We ended up heading west from Gibson City, eventually making it to south of Bloomington, with the now broken line of mini-supercells to our southwest to northwest. It was decision time, with three of the mini-supercells within reach, one northwest, one west and one southwest. We decided to head south on US 51 for a bit to get into position on the southern t'storm. Stopping in Clinton for gas, we decided to change direction and head back north on US 51, to make a play on the northern mini-supercell, which was tornado warned and showing decent signs of rotation. This decision made sense given it was a short drive to the northern storm, and we would be in position to drop south to any other t'storms if needed. After a short 25 minute drive north we intercepted the northern tornado warned t'storm, just north of Bloomington. This t'storm had a few lowerings as we attempted to follow it to the east-northeast, before it weakened slightly (Eventually re-strengthened to the east-northeast) and we decided to end following that t'storm near Lexington, which is where we then started to drop south towards the next t'storm. Heading south past the west side of Bloomington, we intercepted the next tornado warned t'storm near Downs. This t'storm also had a brief lowering, but was high-precipitation and thus hard to get a good visual. After letting this t'storm pass to the north, we decided to drop southeast to Farmers City get into position for the next tornado warned t'storm that was between Lincoln and Clinton at the time. After making it to Farmers City, it was evident that the incoming t'storm was outflow dominant and did not pose a significant threat. By this time it was later int he afternoon, and most of the main activity had already pushed to the northeast, so we called it a chase for the day and headed home.

Almost all of the t'storms were rotating across Central/Eastern/Northeast Illinois on this day, however only two brief and weak tornadoes occurred. Higher lapse rates, more southerly winds (Instead of SW/SSW) and less t'storm coverage would have potentially made this day much more significant tornado wise.

Some pictures from this chase can be viewed below.