Thousands still without power after 3 tornadoes hit the area
ComEd officials said 56,000 customers remain without power early Wednesday after strong storms hit the area late Monday night.
That announcement comes after meteorologists from the National Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes touched down in Illinois and Indiana due to the powerful storms that blew through the area Monday.
ComEd spokesman Jeff Burdick said work crews continue to make progress to restore power to customers still in the dark.
He said, of the 56,000 that remain out, only 4,400 customers in the west zones and 2,600 in north suburban zones are still not up and running. He said 35,000 customers are still without power in Chicago.
"We have more than 750 crews in the field, with about 170 crews that were brought in from Michigan, Kansas and Philadelphia to help get things back on line," he said. "We are making good progress. But, in massive power outages like thess, the last ones without power are always the hardest ones to restore.
In the meantime, National Weather Service officials said tornadoes touched down in Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook and Griffith Indiana Monday night.
An EF-1 tornado, the smallest of all tornadoes, touched down in Bolingbrook near Plainfield-Naperville Road and Boughton Road at about 7:45 p.m., officials said. That EF-1 tornado produced winds of up to 110 mph, had a damage path of 1.1 miles that was only 50 yards wide. Multiple houses were damaged along its path, officials said.
A second EF-1 touched down at about 7:45 p.m., officials said, and caused damage to trees and rooftops in Bloomingdale, Glendale Heights and Addison. That tornado produced winds of up to 110 mph, and was strong enough to blow out the windows at the Stratford Square Mall. The width and length of the damage path was unavailable on Wednesday morning.
The tornado also damaged facilities in a Bloomingdale industrial park where winds estimated between 88 and 120 miles per hour reportedly tossed around 10-ton, rooftop air conditioners. A wall of the building housing Ixmation Cox Systems collapsed and its roof partially caved in as a result of the tornado which also blew the garage doors off a nearby building currently under renovation.
The third tornado was an EF-2 that touched down near Griffith, Ind.. Winds reached about 120 mph, and destroyed buildings and homes in its five-mile wide path.
Fires ignited
Elgin Fire Department officials said lightning accounted for four fires Monday night.
In Carpentersville, a lightning strike ignited the attic of a Chippewa Circle home, leaving it uninhabitable.
A quick-acting Schaumburg resident used a hose and buckets of water to douse the lightning-related fire at the homeowner's Bourne Lane residence.
Nine fire departments responded to a structure fire on Bliss Road in Batavia.
Lightning strike
A lightning strike significantly damaged the roof of St. Charles North High School, frightening people attending a banquet there. Attendees evacuated the building without incident and district officials said roof repairs will be complete by the time school opens Aug. 27.
Trees felled
In Naperville, several large trees blocked four traffic lanes at Naperville Road and 111th Street. A large tree blocked Houston Street in Batavia while Wheaton officials said that the storm destroyed a dozen city trees, mostly along Oak Street, east of Main Street. Bartlett reported downed trees and power lines at Army Trail Road and Route 59. The storms also felled trees in Roselle.
Equipment upended
A spokesman for Elgin Area School District U-46 said five sets of aluminum bleachers were strewed across Bartlett High School athletic fields. High winds also blew over soccer goals.
Officer injured
A community service officer laying out flares to aid traffic flow at a Carpentersville intersection with nonfunctioning traffic and street lights, suffered injuries to both legs early Tuesday when a car driven by an unlicensed, 16-year-old girl hit him at Route 25 and Golfview Lane.
Planes grounded
O'Hare halted all inbound and outbound flights and evacuated travelers to the terminals' lower levels following Monday night's tornado warning. In all, airport officials canceled 350 flights that night.
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