Reports of severe storm damage continue throughout the Chicago area, hours after severe weather swept through multiple suburbs.
In Elgin, vehicles were exposed to hail and rain while residents took shelter in the area. In Mundelein, some residents were displaced after a partial roof collapsed in a residential complex. In Sugar Grove, trees and power lines were downed after straight-line winds of 63 mph and reports of a tornado.
One area that saw some of the heaviest damage was in South Barrington, where roofing materials blown away during the storm were mangled to the ground.
“That's probably a good 20 pounds or so,” NBC 5's Patrick Fazio said early Wednesday of damage and debris piling up in a South Barrington neighborhood. “Imagine if that air exploded and hit you. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.”
In Geneva, Kane County, a street full of tree branches can be seen.
“There was some significant damage to some homes,” Geneva Fire Chief Mike Antenor said. “Broken windows and fallen trees. Some doors were broken. Very large trees were uprooted in the yards and backyard.”
Crews from the National Weather Service were expected to survey and check several areas on Wednesday, focusing on four areas in greater Chicago, where multiple tornadoes were reported. The nuclear powers expect to have a final report in the coming days.
Here's a look at some of the damage the storm left behind across the region:
Where did tornadoes touch down in Chicago?
According to trained tornado spotters, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., reports emerged of at least four tornado landfalls from the outbreak in the Chicago area.
A fifth tornado was reported in far western Illinois, according to the University of Michigan and the National Weather Service.
According to the National Weather Service, one of the tornadoes touched down near Sugar Grove in southern Kane County. This tornado is believed to have caused damage at Waubonsee Community College, with damage to trees, power poles and fences reported in the area.
Sugar Grove also experienced straight-line wind gusts, with winds measured at 63 mph by a private weather station.
New video shows huge numbers of people taking refuge in the emergency shelter at O'Hare Airport during a tornado warning
Another tornado was reported to have touched down in Big Rock, located in Kane County near Hinckley. According to reports, this tornado may have caused damage at a construction site near Joel Osco on the outskirts of Batavia.
There were also reports of a tornado touching down near Inverness and Schaumburg in Cook County, with a tornado causing wind damage reported near Palatine. A private weather station in that area measured a gust of 82 mph, according to a trained weather observer.
Another landing was finally reported near Waterman in DeKalb County, officials said.
Hail the size of a golf ball, and intense lightning
Large hailstones were also reported across the region on Tuesday. NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeans reported 2-inch hailstones in Woodridge, and 1.75 inches in Romeoville and Darien.
Large hail was also reported in Bolingbrook and Oak Forest, Gaines said.
According to weather officials, golf ball-sized hailstones were also reported near Split, and ping-pong ball-sized hailstones were recorded near Plainfield.
Tuesday night's storms also featured intense lightning.
Watch high winds and hail storm hit Schaumburg, Illinois
“A ton of lightning,” Jeans said. “Flash, after flash, after flash. Fortunately, we reported no casualties.”
ComEd is working to fix some of the outages
According to ComEd's power outage map, more than 900 people were currently without power as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. The majority of these outages were in Barrington, Hoffman Estates, Deer Park and Inverness.
ComEd said Tuesday it was deploying additional crews and equipment to respond to the power outages.
According to a press release, the company is taking “proactive steps” to address any challenges the weather brings, with wind gusts up to 60 mph and large hail likely to stress the grid on Tuesday.
Cell phone video shows a tornado in Lee County near Sublette, Illinois.
