Thunderstorm with heavy rain and cyclone The Chicago area was buzzing And elsewhere in the Midwest, a dam in southern Illinois on Tuesday knocked out power to hundreds of thousands and sent forecasters scrambling for safety. Woman dies after tree falls on home in Indiana
The National Weather Service issued 14 tornado warnings and eight severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the storm, according to Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville. The storm is officially classified as a “terrego,” a type of thunderstorm that produces particularly damaging thunderstorm winds over an area at least 250 miles long, Yak said.
The weather service reported gusts of 75 mph at O’Hare International Airport at 9:51 p.m., with gusts of 50 to 70 mph at several sites. Even their office had to seek shelter, he said.
Although the weather service had not confirmed a tornado Monday night, six crews were on duty Tuesday in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana to survey damage, Yak said. They are looking at 29 locations, 16 of which are in the Chicago metro area, and hope to have initial information by Tuesday evening.
The storm caused flooding and uprooted trees. Laura Nagel, 44, Died Monday night in Cedar Lake, Indiana, after a tree fell into his home, the Lake County Coroner’s Office said. The coroner’s office was called to the 8900 block of West 141st Lane at 10:19 p.m. after tornado sirens sounded throughout the area.
Cedar Lake woman dies after storm knocks tree over home
Meanwhile, Chicagoland residents are busy cleaning up the storm damage. Leo Zinani was sitting on the first floor of his Oak Park home watching “The Brokenwood Mysteries” on television with his wife when severe weather warnings popped up on his phone around 9:10 p.m.
About 20 minutes later, the 76-year-old saw the wind pull a large red maple tree from the ground, landing on his roof and eventually leading to a gas leak. Zinani said, fortunately, the tree only pierced the ceiling of the upstairs bedroom.
“We jumped in the air because we saw it hit the roof of the house,” he said. “The ceiling in the living room…all the drywall was loose. We said, ‘Let’s go to the basement.’
After spending the night with his daughter in Elmwood Park, Zinani said he focused on repairs. He said many of his neighbors were affected by trees knocking down chimneys and breaking stucco.
“We had the window washers scheduled for today. That won’t happen,” laughed Chinani.
Storm damage and power outages were reported in the south and southwest suburbs, with extensive tree damage in parts of Oak Forest and operations at the Flossmoor Public Library suspended.
After Monday night’s storm, Metra told riders that service could be altered or reduced Tuesday morning, following power outages that affected its signal system and crossing gates. Many locations are using generator power until service is restored, a spokeswoman said, advising riders to check metra.com for updates.
The Metra Electric line, in particular, experienced delays Tuesday morning due to storm damage, according to spokeswoman Meg Thomas-Reil. A “significant portion” of the line lost power, trees and other debris blocked tracks in some places and wind damaged some wires, Thomas-Reil said. Delays will continue throughout the day and into the evening rush hour, he said.
A CTA spokeswoman said service was operating normally Tuesday after a brief delay Monday night due to weather-induced signal problems.
At O’Hare International Airport, 78 flights were canceled and 114 delayed Tuesday morning, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. At Midway, four flights were canceled and 41 flights were delayed.
According to poweroutage.us, nearly 390,000 customers were without power in northern Illinois alone.
“There have been numerous reports of downed power lines throughout the city as a result of this evening’s storm,” the police department in Joliet posted online Monday night. “Many roads are partially or completely blocked by trees or branches.”
Storm damage and power outages were reported in the southern and southwestern suburbs
Water also topped a dam near Nashville, Illinois, and officials said they sent first responders to the flooded area to make sure everyone got out safely. There were no reports of injuries in the community of 3,000 southeast of St. Louis, but crews were dispatched to a home where a woman reported water up to her waist, said Alex Haglund, a spokesman for the Washington County Emergency Management Agency.
Officials earlier said about 300 people were in an evacuation zone near the Nashville City Reservoir. The rest of the city was not at risk of flooding due to the dam failure, but flash flooding on roads created concerns about water recovery.
A flash flood warning remained in effect for the Chicago area until early Tuesday morning, although no major flood damage was reported. A mix of sun and clouds with temperatures in the mid-80s is in the forecast for the rest of Tuesday, Yak said. He said there is a chance of rain or storms, but nothing severe.
“It’s much quieter today than yesterday,” he said.
Associated Press contributed.
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