Another round of storms hits Chicago as cleanup from Sunday weather continues
Another round of severe weather hit the Chicago area during the day Tuesday, prompting tornado warnings and causing what were expected to be widespread severe tree damage and power outages.
This all came as crews were still trying to clean up during storms on Sunday.
With so many storms this summer, some have been unable to catch a break, or even catch up. At 111th Street and Princeton Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood, a tree has been down for at least three weeks, according to a homeowner.
As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, ComEd was dealing with more than 234,000 outages in northern Illinois, following multiple tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings. NIPSCO was reporting more than 300,000 outages among its approximately 500,000 customers in northwest Indiana.
Portage Township School Corporation officials announced the district has canceled classes for all its schools on Wednesday due to the effects of Tuesday's storms. Wednesday would have been the start of the new school year.
"We are currently assessing the safety of our campuses and are remaining in contact with city and township officials to monitor the progress of recovery. We will keep everyone updated on the status of school for the remainder of the week once we better understand the extent of the damages across the city and township and have a timeline for recovery efforts," the district said in a post on Facebook. "We appreciate your understanding, as the first day of school brings a great deal of anticipation and excitement. However, we must prioritize the safety of our students, staff, and families."
All this comes six years after a massive derecho brought 100 mph winds and left a trail of damage in the Chicago area. On Aug. 10, 2020, a Monday just as Aug. 10 was in 2026, the derecho lasted for several hours as it tore across the Midwest from Nebraska across Iowa to parts of Wisconsin and Illinois and then into Indiana and Michigan.
Along with the derecho, 11 tornadoes were confirmed in Illinois from that one storm system. An EF-1 tornado touched down in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. EF-1 tornadoes were also confirmed in Yorkville and Plainfield.
In all, the derecho spawned 26 tornadoes and killed four people across 90,000 square miles in the U.S.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated the single day of extreme weather on Aug. 10, 2020, cost more than $11 billion, making it "the most expensive thunderstorm event in modern U.S. history." Among other things, the derecho also decimated ComEd equipment.
Fear of a repeat Midwest derecho on Tuesday comes less than 48 hours after two EF-1 tornadoes hit LaSalle County, Illinois, early Monday morning.
One tornado slammed into the town of Ransom, derailing several freight train cars, while the other touched down north of Streator, flattening several homes.
As of Tuesday, there had been no reports of injuries in the tornadoes.
Also as of Tuesday, a spokesperson said 2,000 ComEd employees and contractors were prepositioned across the region, ready to make repairs as a new round of storms swept in.
