CHICAGO (AP) — It's a day people in the Midwest may never forget.

Dozens of tornadoes and intense thunderstorms have swept across the region, causing extensive damage in several central Illinois communities, killing at least three people and prompting officials at Chicago's Soldier Field to evacuate the stands and delay the Bears game.

In southern Illinois, the Washington County coroner says an elderly man and his sister were killed when a tornado hit their home around noon in the rural community of New Minden. And an Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman says a third person died in Washington.

With communications difficult and many roads impassable, it remains unclear how many people were killed or hurt by the string of tornadoes. The Illinois National Guard says it has dispatched 10 firefighters and three vehicles to Washington to assist with immediate search and recovery operations.

About 90 minutes after the tornado destroyed homes in Washington, the storm darkened downtown Chicago. As the rain and high winds slammed into the area, officials at Soldier Field evacuated the stands and ordered the Bears and Baltimore Ravens off the field. The game resumed after about a two-hour delay.

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