Severe storms with heavy rains and high winds roared through the area on Monday, downing trees and branches, producing hail as large as golf balls and leaving tens of thousands without power.
Approximately 62,000 were without power in DuPage County, while nearly 400,000 were without power throughout northern Illinois. ComEd said it expected to restore at least 80 percent of impacted customers by noon on Wednesday. ComEd reported that 4,746 customers were without power on Monday in Lombard alone, resulting from 111 separate outage incidents.
The highest radar-indicated wind gusts on Monday reached up to 70 mph in Villa Park and Elmhurst, 62 mph in Bensenville and 60 mph in Lombard and Addison.
Sirens sounded across DuPage County after the National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings. A handful of tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Services in the Chicago area, including EF-1 tornadoes in Lansing, Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest, Harvey and Homewood, with EF-0 tornadoes in Glen Ellyn and Orland Park.
National Weather Service surveyors noted damage from the Glen Ellyn tornado, which produced peak winds of 80 mph. A number of streets in Glen Ellyn were impassable after the storm--most notable Forest Avenue, where several century-old oak and maple trees were damaged.
Several communities throughout the area—including Lombard, Addison, Villa Park, Elmhurst, Oak Brook and Oakbrook Terrace—reported hail of various sizes, including nickel, quarter, ping-pong and golf ball size.
Addison reported several flooded roadways at one point during the day, and Route 83 in Elmhurst was closed in both directions between North Avenue and St. Charles Road due to heavy street flooding.
Prior to Monday’s storms, the Chicago area had gone three straight weeks (from July 6 to July 27) without measurable rainfall. But on Monday, Addison (2.11 inches), Lombard (2.16), Elmhurst (2.41) and Villa Park (between 2.15 to 2.50) each got over 2 inches of rain, while Bensenville had 1.35 inches.
Following Monday’s severe thunderstorms in Lombard, Lombard Public Works responded to reports of localized flooding, downed tree limbs, and storm-related debris throughout the community. Crews were working to clear roadways and address safety concerns as quickly as possible, according to the village.
