Crews were kept busy Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning responding to downed trees and power lines, which resulted in power outages, after severe thunderstorms in Lake County.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a severe thunderstorm warning for southern Lake County around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.
The warning said severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Prairie Grove to Oakwood Hills moving east at 30 mph.
The NWS said 70 mph wind gusts and half-dollar-sized hail were possible.
“Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect considerable tree damage. Wind damage is also likely to mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings,” the warning said.
Metra halted trains on the Union Pacific North line and Union Pacific Northwest line due to the high winds.
The severe thunderstorms came as an excessive heat warning was in effect for the county and the surrounding Chicago area.
The NWS said dangerously hot conditions with heat index values of 110 to 115 degrees were reported on Tuesday.
Much of the damage from the storms in the two counties appeared to occur in southern Lake County.
Fire crews and police were kept busy responding to storm-related calls, such as power lines down, trees down and alarms related to power outages.
A tree came down in one of the lanes on northbound Route 83 at Northfield Drive in Long Grove.
Cars had to switch lanes to avoid hitting the tree. A rear-end crash nearly occurred when a car quickly braked to avoid hitting the tree and cars behind it had to abruptly stop.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrived and blocked part of the roadway until the tree was able to be removed by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Nearby at Route 60 and Route 45 in Mundelein, construction signs and a stop sign were seen scattered in the roadway.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Auxiliary Deputy Unit was called to assist sheriff’s deputies in responding to storm-related incidents in the county.
“A big thanks to our Lake County Sheriff’s Office Auxiliary Deputy Unit for their help last night! This team of our office assists our deputies and local police departments nearly every day! Thanks for all you do!” the sheriff’s office said.
Approximately 27,000 ComEd customers were without power as of 5 a.m. Wednesday. As of 9 a.m., 17,600 customers remained without power, with over 5,400 of those being Lake County customers.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said his office responded to 25 weather-related calls. No injuries were reported at any of the calls.
In Wauconda, officials said the public works and police and fire departments were working to clear roads and assist with other problems until midnight. They were back out Wednesday morning to continue cleanup.
The Wauconda Township is open as the village’s emergency cooling center for those without power. Bangs Lake will be closed Wednesday while crews repair piers, assess damage to boats and remove hazards from the water.
“We ask for patience as Public Works crews continue to assess the storm damage throughout the Village today. Last night their efforts were focused on downed trees and limbs blocking the roadways,” officials said.
The Village of Deerfield said ComEd has a number of crews deployed from other regions and external support crews deployed to address power outages.
“Please place any tree limbs or debris from the storm at the curb by Thursday night for collection on Friday by Public Works. Anything placed at the curb after Thursday will be subject to LRS collection protocols,” the village said.
A generator caught on fire at the Deerfield Public Works facility Wednesday morning, closing the building to the public.
The Lake County Division of Transportation reported numerous traffic signals in Long Grove, Deerfield and Riverwoods were experiencing malfunctions and motorists should be aware of delays.