Severe weather, bringing wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour and large hail, are pounding the Chicago area Tuesday afternoon, sparking warnings and alerts throughout the region.
Some of the biggest hail is being reported in parts of Kendall, LaSalle and Grundy counties, with the National Weather Service warning of baseball-sized hail in some locations.
Here are the latest headlines from around the area:
7:45 p.m.: More Than 11,000 ComEd Customers Remain Without Power After Storms
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According to ComEd officials, more than 11,000 customers remain without power as of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening after a series of severe thunderstorms blew through the area.
Here are the latest numbers:
Will County - 3,543 customers
Local
Lake County - 3,217 customers
Grundy County - 2,583 customers
McHenry County - 893 customers
Kankakee County - 717 customers
Cook County - 564 customers
6:01 p.m.: Severe Thundestorm Intensifies as it Moves Through Far Southwest Suburbs
According to the National Weather Service, a severe thunderstorm located over Gardner, near Braidwood and Interstate 55, is moving to the southeast at 35 miles per hour, and has continued to intensify.
The storm is producing golf ball-sized hail and wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. The storm could injure residents and animals who are unprotected outside, and could damage roofs, siding, windows and vehicles.
5:48 p.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for 4 Illinois Counties
A new severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for several counties in Illinois, and will remain in effect until 6:30 p.m.
The warning includes southwestern Will County, southern Grundy County, western Kankakee County and northeastern Livingston County, according to the National Weather Service.
A severe thunderstorm, located to the southwest of Coal City, is moving to the southeast at 35 miles per hour. Kankakee, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Coal City, Herscher, Limestone and Bonfield are among the communities that will be impacted by the storm.
Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour and half-dollar size hail are possible with the storm.
4:57 p.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Watch Canceled for Most of Illinois After Storms Pound Region
A severe thunderstorm watch has been canceled for most of Illinois, but remains in effect for several area communities through 9 p.m.
The watch has been canceled in McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Cook, Kendall, Grundy and Will counties, according to the National Weather Service.
The watch remains in effect for Kankakee County in Illinois, as well as Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana, until 9 p.m.
4:08 p.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued in 5 Illinois Counties
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of five Illinois counties, which will remain in effect until 5 p.m.
South-central LaSalle County, southwestern Kankakee County, all of Livingston County, north-central Ford County and northwestern Iroquois County are all impacted by the warning.
Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour and quarter-size hail are possiblew with the storms, which are located on a line extending from six miles west of Herscher to Minonk, moving to the southeast at 35 miles per hour.
4 p.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued in NW Indiana
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for southern Porter County and all of Jasper County in northwest Indiana until 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
A line of storms extending from St. John to Lowell and out to Hopkins Park is rapidly moving to the east at 50 miles per hour.
Wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour are possible, along with quarter-size hail.
Large tree branches were ripped down in Peotone, located in Will County, as the storms moved through Illinois.
3:50 p.m.: Weather Spotters Report Brief Tornado Near Minooka Tuesday
Trained weather spotters in Kendall County reported that a tornado briefly touched down just to the north of Minooka Tuesday, the National Weather Service says.
According to an alert from the service, the tornado was reported just after 3 p.m., with two spotters reporting the brief touchdown.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for east-central Will County due to Doppler-radar indicated rotation, but the warning was allowed to expire at 3:30 p.m. after that rotation weakened.
The NWS has not yet confirmed a tornado touch down, and there have not been any reports of damage thus far.
3:41 p.m.: Tornado Warning Expires, Severe Thunderstorm Watch Canceled for DeKalb County
A tornado warning issued for east-central Will County has been allowed to expire after the rotation within the storm weakened, according to the National Weather Service.
In addition, a severe thunderstorm watch for Boone, Ogle, Lee and DeKalb counties has been canceled by the NWS.
The watch remains in effect for McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Cook, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties until 9 p.m.
Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana are also impacted by the watch.
3:29 p.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for 5 Counties in Illinois, Indiana
A new severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for three counties in Illinois, along with two counties in Indiana, until 4:30 p.m.
According to the National Weather Service, the warning covers southeastern Will County, southeastern Cook County, and all of Kankakee County in Illinois. Lake County in Indiana, along with northern Newton County, are also included in the warning.
Wind gusts in excess of 70 miles per hour are possible with the storms, along with quarter-size hail.
The storms are located along a line extending from Frankfort to Manteno and out to Limestone, moving to the east at 50 miles per hour.
Hail damage to vehicles is possible, along with wind damage to trees, mobile homes and outbuildings.
3:19 p.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Canceled; New Strongest Wind Gust Reported
A severe thunderstorm warning for Kendall County has been allowed to expire, along with northern LaSalle and northern Grundy counties.
A warning does remain in effect for northeastern Grundy County and for southeastern Kendall County, NWS says.
Meanwhile in Lisbon, located in Kendall County, a wind gust of 72 miles per hour was reported by a trained weather spotter, the strongest wind gust the area has seen with the storms.
3:15 p.m.: Tornado Warning Continues as Cell Shows Continued Rotation
The National Weather Service says that a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado is still showing rotation on Doppler radar, with a tornado warning in effect until 3:30 p.m.
The storm is located just to the southwest of Joliet, moving to the east at 45 miles per hour.
The storm will arrive in Ingalls Park at approximately 3:15 p.m., and in New Lenox and Manhattan approximately five minutes later.
3:06 p.m.: Tornado Warning Issued in Will County
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for west-central Will County until 3:30 p.m.
At 3:03 p.m., a severe storm capable of producing a tornado was located north of Minooka, moving to the east at 45 miles per hour.
Doppler radar indicated rotation within the storm, according to NWS.
The storm will be near Joliet and Elwood around 3:10 p.m., near Crest Hill at 3:15 p.m., and near New Lenox, Manhattan and Ingalls Park at approximately 3:20 p.m.
2:58 p.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Parts of Five Counties
A new severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of five counties in northeastern Illinois, with wind gusts in excess of 70 miles per hour possible.
The warning includes eastern LaSalle County, southeastern Kendall County, all of Grundy and Will counties, and central Kankakee County, and will run until 4 p.m.
The storms, located on a line extending from eight miles to the northwest of Minooka to near Morris and Seneca, are moving east at 55 miles per hour.
People and animals outdoors could be injured by falling hail, and wind damage is possible to structures.
2:47 p.m.: Reports of Large Hail, Wind Damage Coming In From Across Area
As severe weather continues to move through the Chicago area, some southwestern suburbs are reporting wind gusts of nearly 70 miles per hour, along with tennis ball-sized hail.
According to trained weather spotters in Earlville, hail up to 2 inches in diameter, or the size of a lime, has been recorded in the area. Hail of that size can cause injuries to people and to animals, and can cause extensive damage to trees, roofs, siding and windows.
In Woodstock, located in McHenry County, hail approximately 1.5 inches in diameter, or the size of a golf ball, was reported by trained weather spotters.
In Libertyville, located in Lake County, 1.32 inches of rain were recorded as the storm moved through the area, leading to potential localized flooding in some spots. Gusty winds also downed tree branches and power lines in the area, according to NWS.
In Round Lake, hail up to an inch in diameter, around the size of a quarter, was reported.
In Spring Grove, located in McHenry County, nickel-size hail was reported by trained weather spotters.
In Amboy, located in Lee County, hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter, approximately the size of a ping pong ball, was reported by trained weather spotters. Nearby Paw Paw also reported hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter.
In Compton, golf-ball size hail was reported during the height of the storms.
Gusty winds, some in excess of 70 miles per hour, are also possible with the storms Tuesday. In Wheeling, located in Cook County, a wind gust of 58 miles per hour was recorded as the storm moved through the area.
In Bull Valley, located in McHenry County, a trained weather spotter observed a wind gust of 68 miles per hour, officials said.
2:36 p.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for 3 Counties
A new severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Kendall, LaSalle and Grundy counties until 3:15 p.m.
According to the National Weather Service, southern Kendall, northeastern LaSalle and northwestern Grundy County are included in the warning.
A line of storms, extending from Leland to Earlville, is moving to the southeast at 35 miles per hour, packing baseball-size hail and wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour.
2:34 p.m.: More than 15,000 Customers Without Power, ComEd Says
An outbreak of severe weather Tuesday afternoon has left more than 16,000 customers without power, according to ComEd.
In Lake County alone, there are 8,177 customers without power as of 2:30 p.m. IN McHenry County, 4,481 customers are without power, and in Cook County, 3,376 are without power.
Wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour have been reported in some locations, along with frequent lightning and large hail.
2:19 p.m.: More Than 200 Flights Canceled at Chicago Airports
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Chicago Department of Aviation says that 127 flights have been canceled at O’Hare International Airport, with another 83 cancellations at Midway due to severe weather.
Flight delays of nearly half an hour are being reported at O’Hare as well, according to officials.
