Three tornadoes hit the Chicago area on Tuesday in a fast-moving storm with 99 mph winds that left a path of destruction in the south suburbs and cut power to hundreds of thousands.
The National Weather Service said surveyors confirmed three tornadoes with gusts of 86 to 110 mph: One in southern Cook County, another in eastern Will County, and the third — confirmed late Tuesday — in the Mokena area, also in Will County.
Survey teams would continue working to confirm possible tornadoes near Homer Glen, Tinley Park, Crete and Manhattan — just weeks after surveyors confirmed seven tornadoes hit the south and west suburbs in a different storm.
The storms also damaged parts of Chicago. Downed trees were reported across the city, from the Southwest Side to Irving park, where a large tree fell on several cars in the 3700 block of North Sawyer Avenue.
Resident Hector Lopez said he believed a lightning strike hit the tree, causing it crash down in what sounded like an explosion.
“It’s something else. I thought it was a plane crash or a bomb,” said Lopez, who’s lived in Irving Park for 50 years.
Tuesday’s tornado and thunderstorm warnings expired early in the afternoon, after around 2 inches of rain fell and a top wind gust of 99 mph was recorded in Gary, Indiana, around 11 a.m., according to the weather service.
There were reports of 81 mph winds in South Barrington, and 70 mph in Oak Lawn.
The strongest squalls erupted through a “kind of a corridor,’’ south and southwest throughout Cook County and adjacent collar counties, weather service meteorologist Scott Baker said.
Damage was reported across the Chicago region.
In south suburban Mokena, where one of the three confirmed tornadoes hit, winds took down trees and cut power to many homes.
Rick Johnson, a Mokena resident of more than 30 years, said his home lost power — the same as it did last month for four days during another round of storms. He said he’s never experienced so many powerful and destructive storms in a single summer.
“It’s been an odd year,” he said.
In south suburban Homewood, officials reported downed power lines, large trees and debris blocking roadways and intersections.
“Areas south of 183rd Street appear to have sustained substantial damage,” village officials said on social media. More than two-thirds of the town lost power in the storm, they said.
In Orland Park, the storm tore off the roof of an animal daycare. Workers could be seen repairing the roof of Midwest Animal Hospital, at 11205 W. 183rd St., later in the afternoon.
In suburban Tinley Park, officials said the storms “caused widespread damage, including power outages, damage to rooftops, inoperable traffic lights, shattered windows, flooding, and downed trees, poles and power lines.”
Power lines fell into the roadway on 175th Street in Tinley Park and on Kedzie Avenue in Flossmoor, according to Cook County emergency alerts.
People on social media posted photos of downed trees in Gary and Munster, Indiana, and several south and southwest suburbs.
About 357,000 ComEd customers lost power as the storms passed, according to the company. The number of outages was down to 250,000 later Tuesday afternoon. In northwest Indiana, around 301,000 customers remained without power Tuesday evening, according to power company Nipsco, more than half of its 500,000 total customers.
The storms also wreaked havoc on air travel.
Nearly 300 flights were canceled at O’Hare Airport, according to FlyChicago.com. At Midway Airport conditions were less severe, with only a handful of cancellations.
In northwest Indiana, Portage Township canceled the first day of school on Wednesday due to the damage. Portage Mayor Austin Bonta wrote on social media that the damage from the storm was extensive.
“I just spoke with our Chief of Police. He has never seen so much destruction in one storm as we’ve gotten so far in this one. Several roads are impassable across the city,” Bonta said on Facebook.
A person died in a suspected house explosion in Portage during the storm, according to the local police department, though officials said they are still investigating what happened.
The storms were expected to give way to cooler temperatures and a chance of light showers before the high rises to the 80s on Wednesday.
Late last month, several storms ravaged the area, leaving neighborhoods in the south suburbs picking up the pieces after seven tornadoes touched down — damaging homes, uprooting trees and adding to what has already been an active tornado season in Illinois.
“We’re in a real unsettled weather pattern now,” Baker said. “It’s just wet and humid and everybody’s like, ‘OK, we’re done with this.'”