Storm Winds Slam Illinois Fields Flat, Drone Footage Reveals

If you doubt the power of the wind, you need to see new drone video that reveals what a thunderstorm did to farm fields in Illinois as large swaths were completely flattened.

This remarkable drone video was shared recently by Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard on YouTube. According to his description on YouTube, this footage documented damage to farm fields east of Homer, Illinois on August 16 and 17, 2025. He also said that a tornado was confirmed in this area during these storms.

According to Hail Trace, the storm hit this part of Illinois at 6:48pm on August 16, 2025. The corn and soybean fields that were flattened were likely the result of downburst winds as Andrew mentioned in his video share.

According to the National Weather Service in Chicago, the Illinois thunderstorms that did this damage on August 16, 2025 were packing upward of 70 mph winds. The NWS went on to say that the storms that hit near Homer the night of August 16, 2025 continued to impact the Chicago region for hours later:

"Thunderstorms were within the NWS Chicago area for nearly 17 hours straight!"

Can these Illinois fields still be harvested?

Iowa State University says that damaged corn and soybean fields like the ones near Homer, Illinois can still be harvested in most cases, but it requires extreme patience and is a much slower process.