Wind gusts capsize small sailboat, knock out power

Drivers, especially those with tall vehicles, are advised to proceed carefully as wind gusts of up to 55 are possible tonight while most of the Chicago area is under a wind advisory.

The wind advisory will remain in effect for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties until 5 a.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph are expected to continue throughout the night in front of a cold front which swept across the region this afternoon. Temperatures are expected to dip into the upper 40s tonight, and highs for Friday will be in the upper 50s, according to meteorologists. Strong winds of up to 40 mph are expected to continue Friday.

Wind gusts toppled a small sailboat in Gages Lake in Grayslake about 5:35 p.m. and knocked the lone boater into the water, according to fire department officials.

A second boat on the lake pulled the person out of the water before rescue crews arrived, said Grayslake Fire Department Batallion Chief Joris Lillge. The boater was not injured, Lillge said.

Wind gusts of 52 mph were reported in Elburn at 7:12 p.m., and gusts of 39 mph have been reported in Aurora.

As of 9 p.m., about 25,600 ComEd customers were without power in the greater Chicago area due to wind damage, said spokeswoman Alicia Zatkowski. About 15,000 of those were in the South suburbs with the other 10,600 spread throughout Chicago and the North and West suburbs, according to the utility.