A severe weather outbreak brought “tornado-like” winds to some parts of the Chicago area on Monday, with several measuring stations clocking gusts of nearly 80 miles per hour.
A trained weather spotter in Stoutsburg, located in Indiana’s Jasper County, recorded a wind gust of 78 miles per hour in the community during the outbreak before their measuring equipment malfunctioned, according to the National Weather Service.
Those gusts caused extensive damage along State Road 10, tearing the metal roof off of a farm building and snapping power poles at their bases, according to spotter reports.
Extensive tree and power line damage was also reported in other locations in the area of the storms.
That specific line of cells triggered severe thunderstorm warnings in both Illinois and Indiana, with the National Weather Service warning residents of “tornado-like” winds on Monday afternoon.
Grant Park, located in Kankakee County, was especially hard-hit, with numerous trees and power lines downed in the area, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Local
In Peotone, trees and power lines were knocked down near Interstate 57 and along Wilmington-Peotone Road, and Beecher also reported significant damage from those storms.
Elsewhere, Glendale Heights and Evanston saw significant wind damage, with authorities in the northern suburb saying that an area along Central Street had experienced downed power lines and trees, advising residents to avoid the area.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
At Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, a wind gust of 58 miles per hour was recorded during the height of the storms, and in Hoffman Estates, a private weather station clocked a wind gust of 60 miles per hour.
The strong winds caused extensive power outages, with more than 25,000 ComEd customers impacted during the height of the storm on Monday.
The storms also caused travel delays at both Chicago airports, and also impacted service on several Metra rail lines, according to officials.
While severe thunderstorm watches have been canceled for most of the area, the National Weather Service says that additional storms could still potentially occur, especially in areas to the south of Interstate 80. A hot and humid air mass will remain in place for several hours before a cold front finally sweeps it away later this evening, but that unstable air could cause additional showers and thunderstorms to fire in the area.
Residents can stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team during our afternoon newscasts, and can also download the NBC Chicago app, where the latest forecasts and live radar services can be located.
