A massive hailstorm, which was accompanied by at least one confirmed tornado, struck much of Kankakee County early Tuesday evening.

As of late Tuesday night, public safety leadership reported only a handful of injuries related to people being hit by softball-sized hail.

The confirmed tornado caused heavy damage through west, south, and east Kankakee as well as a wide stretch of Aroma Township, damaging businesses and houses and toppling or heavily damaging a significant number of large trees throughout this portion of Kankakee and Aroma Township.

The tornado was reported near the Kankakee County Fairgrounds around 6:30 p.m. and was moving east toward the Aroma Park area.

The tornado was confirmed by the National Weather Service and the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office.

A tornado was reported later to have touched down in Hopkins Park, the NWS reported. It later moved into nearby Newton County in Indiana.

The storm, which spawned tornadoes in the Pontiac region, arrived in Kankakee County sometime shortly before 7 p.m.

In Kankakee, hundreds of houses and vehicles were struck by extremely large chunks of hail. High winds or the tornado brought down poles and power lines along South Schuyler Avenue in south Kankakee between River Road and RiverStone Parkway, closing the four-lane road late Tuesday.

Motorists seeking alternative routes found themselves driving over utility lines stretching across roads throughout eastern portions of Kankakee County.

In Aroma Township, the same storm did not produce the same hail, but downed trees toppled electrical poles and lines.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 8

Damage is seen along South Sandbar Road in Aroma Park after severe thunderstorms and a tornado passed through the area on March 10, 2026. (Tiffany Blanchette)

And as all of these issues were facing police and fire services, rumors began swirling regarding reported deaths, in particular at Kankakee Community College.

The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office quickly posted on its Facebook page that these statements were simply social media-generated rumors and were unfounded.

Bradley Mayor Mike Watson said large areas of Bradley were hit with hail. He noted several police squad vehicles had windows shattered as a result.

He noted his pickup truck was also pelted with hail.

“There is nothing we can do about it now,” he said of the police squads. “Damage in Bradley appears to be rather widespread. We will survey the village on Wednesday. I don’t like it, but many have it worse than us.”

Aroma Park Mayor Brian Stump said the village sustained only minor damage, but neighboring subdivisions outside the village limits were hit hard with downed trees.

Stump noted the Lowe Manor subdivision was hard hit.

Two women standing on a driveway in western Aroma Township took in the activity unfolding before their eyes.

“It doesn’t appear there is a lot of homes damaged,” one said. “It’s mainly trees. For that we can be thankful.”

Late Tuesday, getting in and out of the Aroma Park area proved challenging as fallen trees and utility poles caused numerous streets to be closed.

Public works and utility crews were crisscrossing streets throughout much of Kankakee County, working to open streets and restore power.