Severe thunderstorms pound Chicago area, fueled by record heat
Severe storms plowed through the Chicago area Thursday night, after the record-breaking high temperatures created conditions favorable for an outbreak.
Thursday night had brought the Chicago area's highest risk of tornadoes since July 15, 2024, when multiple tornadoes touched down in the area. But while there were signs of rotation in some storm cells, there did not end up being any tornado warnings in the Chicago area Thursday night.
However, multiple "destructive" storms left a field of destruction and debris in their wake.
In Lombard, buckets of hail showered. Farther north in Round Lake, the winds toppled trees — with heavy limbs causing damage to the roof of a home.
A large tree was downed in Edgewater that knocked down a light pole and a traffic sign. As of Friday morning, the light pole was still energized, making it a danger to the area.
Some of the worst damage was on the city's South Side in the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods.
A massive uprooted tree stretched across Prospect Avenue, blocking a major side street at the border of Morgan Park and Beverly. Ald. Matthew O'Shea (19th) told neighbors the city is dealing with more than 200 tree emergencies from last night's storm.
The streets in these South Side neighborhoods are lined with trees that are well over 100 years old, and many did not survive the heavy winds and rains.
One uprooted tree leaned on a man's brick house on 100th Place near South Prospect Avenue. The homeowner said his entire roof was destroyed when the tree came down on his house and snapped over into his neighbor's property. It went through the neighbor's back porch.
Sari Breslin has lived in her home next door since 1978. She said, moments after the tree came down, they made sure their neighbor was safe.
"Unfortunately, this house, also, roof was hit one other time by a tree," she said. "Honestly, I'm very grateful, because if this tree didn't flip, if the top of the tree, if it would have came right down, our house would have been totaled, not just our deck."
Breslin said it sounded like a freight train.
"We have a beautiful silver maple right next to our bedroom that we worry about all the time with these storms that come, but now that we see what can actually happen, it's really scary," she said.
Further south on Prospect Avenue, cars were smashed under a downed tree near 107th Street.
One of the owners said she was glad her house was spared, but sad to find her car a total loss overnight.
"It sounded like a huge garbage can that rolled over, so I didn't even go outside to look at it. My husband came out and he was like, Oh my God!" said Kamilah Burke.
Burke said last year her husband called the city about the tree that fell Thursday night and they came out and cut down a branch.
"And my husband was like the whole thing is dead, you need to cut it down. And they were like nope. And then they left, and here we are; whole tree is down now," she said.
Both Burke and her neighbor's cars are total losses. They said they have made calls to 311 and are waiting for them to get to this spot to cut the tree away.
The severe weather swept across the suburbs to the city, and right into Northwest Indiana — bringing lightning and making for dangerous conditions.
The storm was so severe that O'Hare International Airport stopped all flights from departing. Flight after flight was delayed, leaving those looking to fly out forced to sit and wait out the storm.
And it was better to wait it out, considering that in Cicero, the winds sent a tree crashing onto a truck. There was no word of any injuries involved with that incident, but the downed trees made getting around difficult no matter where one lived.
The city of Chicago was not exempted. In Rogers Park, sidewalks were covered in branches as the severe thunderstorm snapped anything in its path.
The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation said it received more than 700 service requests citywide for downed trees, large limbs, and other debris — mostly in northern neighborhoods. Streets and San said forestry crews were working rapidly to assess and clear hazards involving public ways and property.
Storms also plowed through the downtown area Thursday evening and soaked Soldier Field, where a Beyoncé concert was delayed for hours and concertgoers had to take shelter.
ComEd reported more than 1550,000 customers lost power in Northern Illinois during the storms. About 73,000 customers had been restored as of just before 10 p.m., ComEd said.
The utility said the hardest-hit areas were Chicago, Joliet, and Crestwood. NIPSCO in Northwest Indiana reported 50,000 customers without power.
The storms finally left the Chicago area before 9 p.m.
Record-breaking highs fuel severe weather system
Thursday afternoon, the temperature reached 93 degrees at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday afternoon, topping the previous May 15 record high of 91, set in 1962.
The record high temperatures fueled the storm development as the first 90-degree day of the year showed up nearly three weeks ahead of what is typical.
High temperatures like we saw Thursday now occur earlier in the summer as the climate warms overall. The average first 90-degree day is currently June 3, whereas 100 years ago it was June 18.
What to do if there is a tornado warning
Should a tornado warning be issued, make sure you have your safety plan in mind.
Seek sturdy shelter on the lowest level of your home, preferably your basement, away from exterior walls and windows. If you do not have a basement or access to a basement in your apartment building, an interior bathroom with no exterior walls or windows in the lowest level you can access is preferred. Bring your children and pets with you into this safe location.
Do your best to stay away from windows and exterior walls if a tornado warning is in effect to avoid flying glass and debris, and to lessen the risk of being injured if a tornado touches down and your home is damaged.
Make sure you have a way to monitor the weather and weather alerts with you, like a weather app. Our First Alert weather team will be live with up-to-the-minute coverage during tornado warnings to get you the information you need as fast as possible on our stream.
