NOTE: Severe weather alerts for the Chicago area can be found below. Check the latest alerts for your area here.
Nearly 300,000 ComEd customers were without power as of 10:30 p.m. Monday across the Chicago area as a dangerous line of storms produced widespread tornado watches and warnings.
ComEd reported via its outage map that power was out for 281,254 customers Monday night.
Nearly 1,000 total outages were reported in Cook County due to the ferocious storm, which spawned numerous reports of tornadoes and straight-line wind gusts in excess of 65 miles per hour.
"We are seeing power flashes on both the O'Hare and Midway Airport webcams due to likely tornadoes and/or destructive wind gusts near those areas," the National Weather Service wrote on X. "Continue to take these warnings seriously!!"
The outages were reported as the National Weather Service urged Chicago-area residents to shelter from the line of dangerous storms.
"Heads up! Everyone in the Chicago metro needs to monitor these storms very closely!!" the NWS wrote on X. "This line of storms has had a history of tornadoes that develop very quickly. Even if not in a tornado warning yet seek shelter as the storm moves through!"
Local
A ground stop was issued for O'Hare International Airport Monday night and Metra trains on several lines were stopped as severe weather threatening wind gusts of more than 80 mph hammered the Chicago area.
Flights to and from O'Hare were grounded due to thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Commission.
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According to Metra, UPW inbound and outbound trains were stopped near West Chicago, and UPNW inbound and outbound trains were stopped near Woodstock, all due to high wind warnings.
"Extensive delays are anticipated. Metra will provide updates as information becomes available," the service said on social media.
The entire area was placed under a tornado watch earlier Monday evening, and a tornado warning was issued for Kane, McHenry and DuPage counties. The watch remains in effect until 1 a.m. CT, while tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were also issued across the area.
Storms moving into parts of the region were reported to be "capable of hail up to golf ball size and 60 mph winds."
Just before the alert was issued, the National Weather Service warned a "complex of destructive storms" was moving into northwest Illinois.
"Have multiple ways to receive warnings tonight and be ready to seek shelter if one is issued for your area," the agency posted on X.
The Chicago area had already been upgraded to a moderate risk of severe weather as the threat for damaging storms heightened in the lead-up to the system's arrival.
The moderate risk is a level four out of five. Previously, the region had been under an "enhanced" risk, or a level three out of five.
"Severe thunderstorms are expected through this evening across portions of the Midwest, central High Plains, lower Great Lakes, and Arizona. The greatest potential for severe gusts is over eastern Iowa into Illinois and Indiana," the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said in its update.
Wind speeds of up to 85 mph are possible, with widespread gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour in the forecast.
