Chicago, IL – National Weather Service survey teams are fanning out across northern Illinois Tuesday morning to determine whether several tornadoes touched down during Monday’s powerful severe weather outbreak that left widespread damage and hundreds of thousands without electricity.
According to the National Weather Service Chicago office, damage assessment teams are surveying DuPage County, southern Cook County and nearby areas where radar signatures and storm reports suggest possible tornado damage may have occurred. Officials emphasized that the surveys are ongoing, with findings expected to be released later today as they become available.
The NWS has also asked residents to submit reports from several locations where potential tornado tracks have been identified. Those areas include northwest DuPage County between West Chicago and Carol Stream, western Cook County and southern DuPage County near Burr Ridge, southeast Cook County near the Indiana border, eastern Lake County, Indiana into northwest Porter County, and southern Porter County toward the LaPorte County line.
Residents providing reports are encouraged to include their location, the approximate time the severe weather occurred, and detailed descriptions or photos of any damage.
Meanwhile, ComEd said Monday’s storms produced wind gusts exceeding 80 mph, along with heavy rain and hail, resulting in extensive damage to trees, power lines and electrical infrastructure across the region. More than 530,000 customers lost power during the event, with approximately 290,000 restored as of Tuesday morning.
The utility has deployed more than 2,300 personnel across northern Illinois and expects approximately 80% of outages to be restored by Wednesday at noon, with most remaining customers expected to have power restored by 10 p.m. Friday, July 31, though restoration times will vary depending on damage.
The National Weather Service cautioned that no tornadoes have been confirmed at this time. Final determinations, including tornado ratings and track information, will be released after survey teams complete their inspections.
