Govind Tekale
Powerful storms with winds reaching 60 mph tore through the Chicago area Saturday, leaving tens of thousands without power and causing significant damage across multiple counties.
As of Saturday evening, more than 68,000 ComEd customers were still in the dark, according to ComEd’s outage map. McHenry County was one of the hardest hit areas with nearly 12,000 customers without power, while Cook County reported over 17,000 outages.
The severe weather caused extensive damage beyond power outages. In Mount Prospect, residents of an apartment building were evacuated after the roof was severely damaged. In Cary, officials declared a state of emergency due to the storm’s impact, and announced a special brush pickup would be scheduled for the week of August 25 to help with cleanup efforts.
“These thunderstorms were producing damaging, straight-line winds,” said Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville. The storms downed trees and power lines across the region, from Fox River Grove to Woodstock.
The storms also caused significant travel disruptions, triggering a ground stop at O’Hare International Airport. In Belvidere, police warned drivers that several intersections were without power and reminded them to treat these intersections as four-way stops.
Boone County was also heavily affected, with more than 6,000 customers losing power. Other affected areas included Will County with nearly 9,000 outages, and Kendall County with about 3,800 customers in the dark.
For many affected customers, the ComEd outage map showed restoration times as “pending assessment,” indicating crews were still evaluating the extent of the damage before providing estimated restoration times.
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When responding to storm-related outages, ComEd follows a specific restoration process. The utility first restores power to critical facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, and police and fire stations. They then focus on repairs that will restore electricity to the largest number of customers, before addressing smaller, isolated outages.
Customers without power should stay away from downed power lines and always assume they are energized and dangerous. ComEd advises reporting outages immediately through their website, mobile app, or by texting “OUT” to 26633 (COMED).
Those with refrigerated food should remember the “four-hour rule” – perishable food may not be safe if kept above 40°F for more than four hours during an outage. When in doubt about food safety, the safest option is to throw it out.
Residents using generators should operate them outdoors only, at least 20 feet from doors, windows, or vents to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
As cleanup efforts continue, local officials ask residents to check on elderly neighbors or those with medical needs who might require assistance during extended outages. ComEd crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible, though restoration times will vary depending on the severity of damage in each area.
For the latest information on outages and restoration times, customers can visit ComEd’s outage map online or through their mobile app. With temperatures expected to rise in the coming days, restoring power quickly becomes even more critical for affected residents.
