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Thunderstorm rips off apartment building roof

Severe storms that moved through the suburbs Tuesday afternoon caused a roof to be torn off an apartment building in an unincorporated area near Willowbrook, witnesses and authorities said.

Residents of the Hinsdale Lake Terrace Apartments at 16W580 Honeysuckle Rose Lane were evacuated after the storm came through about 2:40 p.m., according to the DuPage County sheriff's office.

"I heard this gust of wind and it took off the top of the roof, and then I saw boards flying and debris and wood flying all over the place," said Demarcus Linzy, who was home at the time of the storm. "It was really, really loud. Like a lighting strike."

No injuries were reported.

The line of thunderstorms moved northeast as drivers headed onto area roadways for the afternoon commute. The National Weather Service reported winds in excess of 40 miles per hour and pea-size hail.

A ground stop was ordered at Midway Airport in the late afternoon, forcing delays in arrivals and departures.

Wednesday's forecast calls for highs in the upper 70s with a chance of heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening.

  Jaylon Smith, 13, reacts after seeing the result of a fast-moving storm that blew the roof off the apartment building where he lives near Willowbrook. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
  Crews evaluate the roof of the Hinsdale Lake Terrace apartment building near Willowbrook after it was damaged Tuesday afternoon by a storm. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
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