CHICAGO — Strong winds, rain and hail battered parts of Chicagoland on Tuesday afternoon causing flooding and some damage.
From the city’s South Side to the southwest suburbs, drainage systems were no match for the storm’s heavy rainfall.
Flooding left some cars submerged in Orland Park. One neighbor said it has been years since he saw a scene like that on his block.
“Flooded heavy in 96, I remember we had a big flood that time, but yeah this is, the first time it’s real bad again,” south suburban resident John Welcome said.
Hail as big as quarters also fell across parts. In Michigan City, Indiana, there were reports of hailstones the size of baseballs.
Strong winds in Northwest Indiana sent trees into power lines and knocked out power for some.
“It happened all of a sudden,” said Shawn Loc, who spent a portion of his afternoon clearing tree limbs from the road in Porter.
Loc said he counted six fallen trees between two yards. Some of them fell on houses.
Amid the severe storms, a two-story barn in Harvard, Illinois, collapsed while animals were inside.
Fire crews pulled 24 sheep, 18 goats, a cow, and multiple chickens and ducks from the wreckage, but four of the animals were confirmed dead and two others remain unaccounted for.