Multiple tornadoes in Illinois; homes, gas station damaged

CHICAGO (AP) - Powerful storms packing multiple tornadoes swept through parts of the Midwest Wednesday night, damaging homes and a gas station in central Illinois and sending tens of thousands of soccer fans seeking shelter during the Copa America semifinal in Chicago.

According to the Community Collaborative Rain, Snow and Hail Network, the heaviest rainfall totals were recorded in suburban Cook County, where 2.2 inches fell in Evanston and 2.1 inches fell in Arlington Heights. Bartlett received 1.5 inches of rain, while 1 inch fell in Villa Park, and less than an inch was recorded in Lake County. Chuck Schoop, emergency manager for Livingston County in central Illinois, said a tornado destroyed the canopy of a gas station and damaged at least four homes in or just outside Pontiac. There were only minor injuries reported, although a couple had been temporarily trapped inside one of the homes, Schoop said.The National Weather Service reported another tornado touched down, near the northern Illinois cities of Amboy in Lee County and Earlville in LaSalle County. There are small towns scattered throughout the area surrounded by farm fields.Wind gusts were projected to be 70 mph or greater in some places, and baseball-size hail was possible, according to the weather service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.The strong band of thunderstorms moving forced a two-hour delay in Chile's 2-0 victory over Colombia in the Copa America semifinal at Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears football team. Fans were told to go beneath the stands for shelter.Fans also were told to take shelter at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, before their game against the Philadelphia Phillies resumed after a 70-minute delay.The Chicago Department of Aviation said 325 flights in and out of O'Hare International Airport were canceled and 90-minute delays were reported. Airlines at Midway International Airport canceled about 70 flights, with 60-minute delays.Commonwealth Edison spokesman Anita Martinez said about 15,000 customers remained without power in northern Illinois Wednesday night.The Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said it had increased staffing at its customer call center and scheduled extra work crews.Some parts of the country, including New Jersey, were already dealing with the aftermath of earlier storms.Utility crews in the southern part of the state were restoring power to homes and businesses. Atlantic City Electric said nearly 6,000 homes and businesses remained without power Wednesday, down from more than 34,000 customers on Tuesday.___Follow Sophia Tareen at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen. 512337In this Tuesday, June 21, 2016 photo, Rt. 47 in Middle Township is blocked to traffic due to fallen trees and power lines in front of the United Methodist Church in Green Creek, N.J. Tuesday's severe weather that past through parts of Cape May County caused wide spread damage and power outages. (Dale Gerhard /The Press of Atlantic City via AP) MANDATORY CREDITThe Associated Press 512341Eileen Crossman looks a huge tree that crashed through her home during Tuesday's violent storms, Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Lower Township, N.J. Tuesday's severe weather that past through parts of Cape May County caused wide spread damage and power outages. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)The Associated Press 498512This is the Weather Underground forecast for Thursday, June 23, 2016, for the United States. A frontal boundary will trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms rom the Southwest to the Central Plains and east over the Northeast. High pressure will produce dry and pleasant conditions over the Upper Midwest. (Weather Underground via AP)The Associated Press 512400This is the Weather Underground forecast for Thursday, June 23, 2016 for the central region of the United States. (Weather Underground via AP)The Associated Press 512399This is the Weather Underground forecast for Thursday, June 23, 2016 for the southern region of the United States. (Weather Underground via AP)The Associated Press 512247Remnents of a downed tree litter the front yard of a home in the north side of Richmond, Va., Wednesday, June 22, 2016. Cleanup continues in theRichmond area after nearly a week after a storm left almost 160,000 people without power for several days. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)The Associated Press