Chicago's summer tempest has made history, as the National Weather Service (NWS) confirms a record-breaking 32 tornadoes tore through the area during a derecho event on July 15, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. This surpasses previously held records, setting a new precedent in the city's encounters with such severe weather phenomena. The day before the derecho hit, nine tornadoes were also reported to have quickly spun up in the area, summing up to an unprecedented 41 tornadoes across 36 hours.

We are in the process of wrapping up our analysis and post-survey work from the historic July 15, 2024 derecho. In totality, we confirmed 32 tornadoes in our forecast area, which is the most from a single severe weather event in our records. (1/7) #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/8jCU46zoTJ

— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) August 8, 2024

The event is now known as the "most prolific tornado event" to have ever affected the Chicago area. According to FOX 32 Chicago, the previous single-event high was 22 tornadoes, set during storms in 2023 and 2014.

Meteorologist Jake Petr detailed to the Chicago Sun-Times that all signs of severe weather on July 15 had been "maxed out," and the readiness to potentially report several tornadoes was already at an advanced stage just a few hours ahead of the storm.

During the peak of this storm, a spectacle of nature's wrath unfolded as five active tornadoes were simultaneously on record within the Chicago vicinity. "It was certainly a historic event for the Chicago area and Northern Illinois," Petr told the Chicago Sun-Times, noting the mightiest tornado, an EF-2, etched a path from Channahon to Matteson.