Heavy storms forces Woodstock hospital evacuation

A heavy storm cell brought wind gusts of up to 65 mph and forced the evacuation of a hospital in Woodstock late Tuesday night, authorities said.

The quick moving storms that crossed the area after 9 p.m. Tuesday did not bring heavy damage statewide, officials said.

But, the storms packed enough punch to to knock out power to about 5,000 ComEd customers, ComEd officials said.

ComEd spokesman Jeff Burdick said the hardest hit area seemed to be in Woodstock, where about 900 customers lost power due to the winds. He said power was restored to most customers in about two hours.

The power outage forced 11 patients to be moved out of Centegra Specialty Hospital on South Street, officials said. Those patients were transported from the small hospital to Centegra Memorial Hospital in Woodstock for about two hours until the power was turned back on, hospital officials said.

With the storms officially out of the area, meteorologists predict the temperature will reach about 90 degrees this afternoon before dropping to about 70 degrees tonight.