CHICAGO, IL — A line of fast-moving storms barreled through the Chicago area Thursday afternoon, leaving a trail of destruction marked by collapsed buildings, fires, uprooted trees, and widespread power outages. Some of the hardest-hit areas included Lisle, Lyons, Berwyn, and South Side neighborhoods of the city.
The severe thunderstorm system, accompanied by hail and wind gusts near 80 mph, began sweeping through downtown Chicago shortly after 3 p.m., bringing torrential rain and thunderclaps across the skyline. The storms exited the area quickly but not before triggering widespread damage.
Microbursts Suspected in Lisle, Trees Flatten Homes and Streets
In west suburban Lisle, a possible microburst uprooted a massive pine tree, destroying a yard and damaging surrounding homes. Residents described the winds as so powerful they tore off window screens, toppled outdoor furniture, and left some homes partially splintered.
Joe Arellano, a local resident, said he and others spent the night manually sawing through fallen trees to clear access to a nearby medical office. “The tree was so big, it broke my saw,” he said.
Across the street, another house narrowly escaped damage when a storm-split tree collapsed just inches away. A building in nearby Lyons partially collapsed when bricks fell from its structure — no injuries were reported.
Explosions and Fires in Berwyn and Montgomery
In Berwyn, two major natural gas lines caught fire at a BP station on Ogden Avenue after power lines came down. At 3:49 p.m., the gas lines exploded, flattening the convenience store and sending flames skyward.
South of Aurora, in Montgomery, two homes caught fire after trees took down power lines. Emergency crews worked rapidly to contain both fires before they spread further into residential areas.
Chicago Homes Damaged, Residents Trapped
Back in Chicago, the South and West sides bore the brunt of tree damage. In West Englewood, a large tree crashed onto a house near 71st Street and Seeley Avenue, trapping a woman inside. In Morgan Park, another tree landed on a home near 109th and Throop, injuring one person and forcing the home to be condemned due to structural damage.
Across the city, neighborhoods like Lakeview and South Shore saw downed trees blocking entire roads and damaging vehicles.
50,000 Lose Power, Flights Halted
As the storms tore through, over 50,000 ComEd customers lost electricity. By 10 p.m., that number had dropped to around 24,000, but restoration efforts were still ongoing.
Both O’Hare and Midway airports issued ground stops during the peak of the storm. Flights resumed later that evening.
Further rounds of heavy rain are expected Friday and Saturday, with another heat dome forecast to push “feels-like” temperatures back to 110°F on Sunday and Monday — prompting new weather alerts across the region.
Were you impacted by Thursday’s storm? Share your story and photos with the Chicagosuburbanfamily.com as we continue coverage of severe weather hitting the Midwest.
