Severe Storms and Tornadoes Hit Chicago Area Amid Cleanup Efforts
The Chicago area is facing another round of severe weather, including tornado warnings and damaging winds, as cleanup efforts from previous storms continue. On Tuesday, wind gusts reached up to 120 mph in southern Chicago suburbs, causing widespread tree damage and power outages. ComEd reported 285,736 outages in northern Illinois, while NIPSCO recorded 279,137 outages in northwest Indiana. This comes just days after two EF-1 tornadoes struck LaSalle County, Illinois, derailing freight train cars and flattening homes. The storms evoke memories of the August 10, 2020 derecho, which brought 100 mph winds, spawned 26 tornadoes, and caused $11 billion in damages across the Midwest. Crews are working to address the damage, with 2,000 ComEd employees and contractors prepositioned for repairs.