First responders and utility companies are continuing to respond to a myriad of calls amid high winds that knocked down power and cable lines, caused power outages for thousands and threw debris around in Lake and McHenry counties.
All of Chicagoland was under a high wind warning until 4 p.m. Friday. A wind advisory remains in effect.
Winds were blowing from the west at around 30-35 mph, with gusts up to around 60 mph in some locations.
At 5 a.m., Waukegan had peak wind gusts at around 51 mph, which increased to 64 mph at 10 a.m, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
The high winds caused power lines, cable lines, and trees to fall.
Numerous traffic signals and railroad crossings also malfunctioned.
Localized power outages were reported throughout Lake and McHenry counties, with around 2,000 ComEd customers – both residential and commercial – without power as of around 2:30 p.m. Friday.
A ComEd spokesperson told Lake & McHenry County Scanner that more than 1,600 field employees and contractors are working “around the clock” to address outages in northern Illinois.
Debris, like garbage cans and tree limbs, was also blown around.
First responders and utility crews in both counties were inundated with calls since early Friday morning.
Crews are continuing to respond to calls throughout Friday.
In Gurnee, power lines came down on the roadway on Washington Street just west of Greenleaf Street, causing a stretch of Washington Street to be shut down for several hours on Friday morning.
Malfunctioning traffic signals were reported on North Milwaukee Avenue north of Lake Cook Road in Buffalo Grove, Route 83 and Frederick Road in Grayslake, Butterfield Road and West Hawthorn Parkway in Mundelein, Route 83 and Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach, Gilmer Road and Fremont Center Road in Hawthorn Woods, St. Marys Road and Rockland Road in Green Oaks,
On Winchester Road west of Butterfield Road at the border of Mundelein and Libertyville, several ComEd field employees responded to a tree that fell on power lines, causing the tree to start smoldering.
Crews used power tools and a boom lift to safely cut the tree limbs off.
“High winds can blow trees, vegetation and objects around that interfere with power lines and other equipment,” the ComEd spokesperson said.
“The safety of our crews and customers is our top priority. In some cases, high winds can make it difficult for crews to safely assess damage before restoration efforts can begin. Once a storm fully passes, crews are able to complete damage assessments,” the spokesperson added.
“In the meantime, ComEd prioritizes restoration for critical services such as hospitals, nursing homes, fire departments and law enforcement, followed by repairs that restore the greatest number of customers.”
In Hainesville, power lines were caught on a semi-truck on Belvidere Road between East Misty Hill Lane and North Deer Point Road at around 9:50 a.m. Friday.
Officers shut down Belvidere Road between Hainesville Road and Alleghany Road while firefighters and utility crews tended to the incident. No injuries were reported.
At East Deerpath Road and North Western Avenue in Lake Forest, a tree fell down on the Union Pacific-North (UP-N) rail line, causing Metra traffic to temporarily halt at around 8 a.m. while crews removed the tree.
In McHenry, police shut down Barreville Road between Charles J Miller Memorial Highway and Biscayne Road for cable lines that were knocked down by high winds.
An overhead traffic light fell down at Route 120 and Greenwood Road in Woodstock, causing a road closure early Friday morning.
State Line Road and Alden Road near Harvard was also closed for wires that fell Friday morning, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said.
Although winds have noticeably decreased as of 5 p.m. Friday, crews are continuing to respond to wind-related calls and restore power for residents and businesses.
Keep holding onto your hats – weather officials are monitoring a storm system on Sunday and into Monday that is expected to bring damaging wind, a mix of rain and snow, and colder temperatures to Chicagoland.