Thousands were without electricity Tuesday night as severe storms and gusty winds moved into the Chicago area.
Electric utility ComEd said more than 12,700 customers were without electricity as of 9 p.m., but crews were working on restoring power in affected areas, including in Cook, Winnebago and Stephenson counties. More than 2,300 homes were reported without power in Cook County.
A round of severe thunderstorms was expected to move through the area beginning at 7 p.m., bringing damaging winds that could reach up to 75 mph, the National Weather Service said. The storms could also bring a risk of hail and possible tornadoes.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch until midnight for Kane, Kendall, McHenry, Boone, DeKalb, LaSalle, Winnebago, Ogle and Lee counties.
The threat for widely scattered severe storms will continue thru midnight, mainly in the orange shaded area of NW IL. Some strong storms, with localized gusty winds to 50 mph, are also possible in the yellow area through 1 am. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/OgUAUG45xW
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) May 22, 2024
“We recognize that outages at any time are inconvenient,” said David Perez, ComEd’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Our goal is to get our customers and communities back quickly and safely to minimize the interruption to their lives and livelihoods. Crews will work around the clock to make repairs so we get the power flowing for any and every customer who experiences an outage.”
If outages occur, crews will prioritize restoring power at police and fire stations, hospitals and nursing homes, the utility company said.
ComEd asks customers to report outages by calling (800) 334-7661. Spanish-speaking customers can call (800) 955-8237.
