Reports of major storm damage across the Chicago area continue to pour in, hours after severe weather tore through multiple suburbs.
In Elgin, vehicles were pounded with hail and rain as residents took shelter through the region. In Mundelein, some residents were displaced after a roof partially collapsed at an apartment complex. In Sugar Grove, downed trees and power lines followed 63 mile per hour straight-line winds, and reports of a tornado.
One of the areas that saw some of the most damage was in South Barrington, where roofing material that had been blown off during the storm lay mangled on the ground.
"That's probably a good 20 pounds or so," NBC 5 reporter Patrick Fazio said early Wednesday, of the damage and debris piled up in a South Barrington neighborhood. "Imagine if this was blowing around and hit you. Fortunately, there were no reports of any injuries."
In Geneva in Kane County, a street can be seen littered with tree branches.
"We have some significant damage to some of the homes," Geneva Fire Chief Mike Antenore said. "Broken windows, downed trees. Some doors blown off. A lot of uprooted, very large trees in the yards and backyard."
Crews from the National Weather Service are expected to survey and investigate several areas Wednesday, focusing on four metro Chicago areas multiple tornadoes were reported. The NWS expects to have a finalized report in the coming days.
Here's a glimpse into some of what the storm damage looked like across the area:
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Where did tornadoes touch down in Chicago?
Local
According to trained tornado spotters, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., reports of at least four of tornado touchdowns emerged from the outbreak in the Chicago area.
A fifth tornado was reported in far western Illinois, according to the University of Michigan and the National Weather Service.
According to the NWS, one of the tornadoes touched down near Sugar Grove in southern Kane County. That tornado is believed to have caused damage at Waubonsee Community College, with damage to trees, power poles and fences reported in the area.
Sugar Grove was also buffeted by straight-line winds, with one gust measured at 63 miles per hour by a private weather station.
Another tornado touchdown was reported in Big Rock, located in Kane County near Hinckley. According to reports, that tornado may have caused damage at a construction site near a Jewel-Osco in suburban Batavia.
There were also reports of a tornado touchdown near Inverness and Schaumburg in Cook County, with a reported tornado causing wind damage near Palatine. A private weather station in that area measured a gust of 82 miles per hour, according to a trained weather spotter.
Finally, another touchdown was reported near Waterman in DeKalb County, officials said.
Golf-ball sized hail, heavy lightning
Large hail was also reported throughout the area Tuesday. NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes reported hail two-inches in diameter in Woodridge, and 1.75 inches in Romeoville and Darien.
Large hail was also reported in Bolingbrook and Oak Forest, Jeanes said.
According to weather officials, golf ball-size hail was also reported near Sublette, and ping pong ball-sized hail was recorded near Plainfield.
Tuesday night's storms also saw heavy lightning.
"A ton of lightning," Jeanes said. "Flash, after flash, after flash. Fortunately, no injuries we reported."
ComEd working to repair some outages
According to ComEd's outage map, more than 900 people were currently without power as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. The majority of those outages were Barrington, Hoffman Estates, Deer Park and Inverness.
Tuesday, ComEd said it was positioning additional crews and equipment to respond to outages.
According to a press release, the company is taking “proactive steps” to address any challenges the weather brings, with wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour and large hail potentially taxing the grid on Tuesday.
