Thunderstorms muscled across northern Illinois on Thursday night, ripping down trees and cutting power to thousands of ComEd customers from Chicago’s far edges to the outer suburbs. By early Friday, bucket trucks and chainsaws were out in force as crews worked through the night to clear debris, repair lines and bring neighborhoods back online.
Storms Packed Gusty Winds, Hail And Lightning
The National Weather Service rolled out multiple severe thunderstorm warnings and a tornado watch as a fast-moving line of storms barreled through, delivering wind gusts topping 60 mph, frequent lightning and small hail, according to NWS Chicago. Forecasters had already cautioned that those winds could topple trees and snap power lines, driving up the risk of widespread outages and pockets of damage across the region.
Where Outages Were Concentrated
In the storm’s aftermath, ComEd reported more than 9,000 customers without electricity, with county breakdowns that included Ogle (2,474), Cook (3,371), McHenry (1,214), DuPage (633) and Kendall (669), according to NBC Chicago. Independent tracker PowerOutage.us, which compiles data from utility outage maps, showed roughly 7,900 ComEd customers still without service at the time of its latest update.
ComEd Mobilizes Crews, Sets Restoration Priorities
ComEd said field crews were on the ground working active trouble spots and that restoration would first focus on hospitals, emergency services and repairs that restore power to the largest groups of customers at once. Residents were urged to report outages through the utility’s online outage tracker, text alerts or by calling 1‑800‑EDISON1, according to a company update shared by local municipalities. ComEd also reminded the public to stay away from downed power lines and to give repair crews plenty of space to work safely.
Safety Steps And Where To Get Updates
Officials urged anyone without power to steer clear of downed lines, check on neighbors who depend on medical equipment and avoid driving through flooded or debris‑strewn streets. Residents can track estimated restoration times on utility dashboards and outage trackers and monitor municipal websites for information on available shelters or warming and cooling centers. PowerOutage.us and local news outlets continued to post live outage updates.
This story will be updated as ComEd and local authorities release new restoration estimates and additional details.
