More than 20,000 ComEd customers in the Chicago area were without power Wednesday morning after extreme heat followed by severe thunderstorms ripped through the region, with more chances for strong storms Wednesday afternoon.
As of 5:15 a.m., 26,821 customers across Chicago and the suburbs were without power, ComEd’s outage map showed. The majority of the outages were reported in Cook County, the map showed, with more than 15,000 customers without power. According to the map, more than 10,000 customers in Lake County were without power.
A message posted to ComEd’s website said crews expect to restore 80% of outages by Wednesday evening.
Downed power lines weren’t the only damage the storm –which brought 60 mile-per-hour winds, heavy rain and penny-sized hail — left in its path.
Storm damage was reported across multiple suburbs, including Glenview, Bolingbrook, Wauconda, Mt. Prospect and Lincolnshire, where giant, uprooted trees damaged sheds, roofs and siding.
In Romeoville, roads were closed due to storm damage. Early Wednesday morning in Skokie, CTA Yellow Line service was suspended due to debris on the tracks. Shuttle bus service was being provided, NBC 5 Traffic Reporter Kye Martin said.
Photos and video from damage across the area show downed branches across streets and yards, with debris lining the roads.
By the mid-morning hours, some pockets of scattered rain showers were expected to come to an end, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said. Another chance of storms is in the Chicago area forecast tonight, Roman said, they weren’t expected to be severe.
“Maybe a few isolated showers later in the afternoon,” Roman said. Around 8 p.m., some isolated showers could pop-up across Chicago’s northern counties, Roman added.
Following the hottest day of the year, temperatures Wednesday will remain warm and muggy, with highs in the mid-80s, Roman said. By the weekend and through Labor Day, drier and calmer conditions were expected, with lower dew points and temperatures in the 70s, Roman said.