Severe thunderstorms unleashed widespread damage across the Chicago area Wednesday afternoon, uprooting trees, damaging homes and causing a gas station explosion in Berwyn.
Severe storms caused significant damage across the Chicago area, including downed trees, damaged homes, and a gas station explosion.
- Severe thunderstorms struck the Chicago area Wednesday afternoon, causing widespread damage.
- A suspected microburst in Lisle uprooted a large pine tree and damaged homes.
- In Berwyn, a gas station exploded after downed power lines ignited natural gas lines.
- Chicago neighborhoods experienced significant tree damage, with some homes condemned.
- Over 50,000 ComEd customers lost power at the height of the storms.
The storms, which brought thunder, torrential rain and hail, moved rapidly through the region. Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for counties southwest of Chicago, extending into the city and its immediate surroundings. Thunderclaps were audible downtown Chicago around 3 p.m.
West Suburban Havoc
West suburban Lisle was particularly hard-hit, with a massive pine tree uprooted in what residents described as a possible microburst with winds gusting up to 80 mph. The tree fell on one yard, but other homes in Lisle and neighboring communities sustained damage. Marlene Lopez reported that strong winds tore through her back porch, scattering furniture and ripping window screens.
Joe Arellano helped a business owner clear debris from a fallen tree that was so large it broke his chainsaw. “It’s tough. I mean, my thing just broke,” Arellano said. “I mean, I tried to help a little bit of it, but it didn’t work.” Arellano and other volunteers worked through the night with manual tools to clear a driveway for patient access to a medical office.
On the same block in Lisle, a tree split in half narrowly missed a house. Arellano noted his neighbor, who was out of town, was fortunate his home was in the center of the damage. Another home across the street was boarded up after a suspected microburst broke its window.
In Lyons, a building at Ogden and Powell avenues partially collapsed, with bricks falling from the former ground-floor business. Lyons police Chief Thomas Herion confirmed there were no injuries.
In Montgomery, south of Aurora, two houses caught fire after a tree and power line fell. Naperville saw two trees block Modaff Road north of 87th Street. “We saw sheets of rain that were going probably 40, 35 miles an hour,” said Ethan Singer of Naperville. “You could feel it in the car pushing on us.”
Emergency management responded in Naperville to reroute traffic as residents surveyed the damage. Ethan’s son, Neeko, remarked, “I just was like, ‘Dad, look, there’s a giant tree fallen, and I’ve never seen one right in the middle of the road.'”
Berwyn Gas Station Explosion
The storms also caused an explosion at a BP station in Berwyn. Following multiple downed power lines, two main natural gas lines at the station at 6749 W. Ogden Ave. ignited. At 3:49 p.m., the gas lines exploded, leading to the station’s complete collapse. The office and convenience store structure were leveled and burned.
Chicago Neighborhoods Damaged
Chicago’s West Englewood neighborhood at 71st Street and Seeley Avenue saw a large tree fall onto a house, trapping the homeowner. In Morgan Park, near 109th and Throop streets, a person sustained minor injuries when a tree fell on a house, causing severe damage that led to the property being condemned.
“The wind picked like heavily, and you know, blowing limbs around. But anyhow, we were in the house, and all of a sudden, I hear a bunch of just tearing up,” said Roland P. Watkins, whose home was struck by a tree. “That was the tree coming down on the back two rooms.”
The East Lakeview area reported several downed trees, including one on a car on Barry Avenue and another blocking Cambridge Avenue. A large tree also fell at 78th Street and Exchange Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood.
Power Outages and Airport Disruptions
More than 50,000 ComEd customers lost power during the storms; by 10 p.m., that number had decreased to approximately 24,000. A ground stop was briefly in effect at both O’Hare and Midway international airports before being lifted.
While the storms moved quickly through the immediate Chicago area, heavy thunderstorms with torrential downpours continued through Kankakee County, Northwest Indiana, and LaSalle County into the evening. Additional heavy rain is expected Friday and Saturday.
Rain is forecast to clear by Sunday as a heat dome builds, bringing dangerously high temperatures. Weather alerts may be issued for feels-like temperatures reaching 110 degrees on Sunday and Monday. A cooler pattern is expected to begin next Wednesday, with highs in the 70s for the start of Lollapalooza weekend.
