Thousands without electricity after storms

Strong thunderstorms moved across Illinois Saturday, producing hail and high winds that left tens of thousands of customers without electricity.

ComEd says its crews have restored power to about 45,000 customers and were working to restore about 17,000 more Saturday night. The company says the outages were evenly dispersed across northern Illinois. Ameren reported about 6,400 outages centered at Peoria and the towns of Farmington and Hanna City. That number was about 400 later Saturday.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Romeoville say winds reached 74 miles per hour in DeKalb.

In Evanston, strong winds knocked down tents at an art fair. Police were unsure of injuries, but witnesses told WBBM radio that paramedics treated about half a dozen people at the scene.