1 dead, thousands without power after severe storms, possible tornadoes hit Chicago area

CHICAGO (AP) — Thunderstorms with possible tornadoes rattled the Chicago area and elsewhere in the Midwest, toppling trees and power poles, cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands of people, and even sending weather forecasters scrambling for safety. A woman in Indiana died after a tree fell onto a home.

Employees at the National Weather Service in suburban Chicago had to pass coverage duties to a northern Michigan post for five minutes when storms swept through. The agency reported wind speeds in the region as high as 75 mph (120 kph).

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“We did have an area of rotation,” meteorologist Zachary Yack said, referring to extreme rotating wall clouds. “And it kind of developed right near our office here in Romeoville, Illinois. … We went and took cover. We have a storm shelter here.”

A 44-year-old woman died in Cedar Lake, Indiana, in the southern fringes of the Chicago area, the Lake County coroner’s office said.

The weather service confirmed a tornado hit Des Moines, Iowa, as storms rolled through Monday afternoon and into the night. Police responded to calls about utility poles that snapped in two.

The storms then moved east into northern Illinois and the Chicago area, which saw tornado warnings and drenching rain. Tornadoes were reported along the line of storms that moved through the city, according to the weather service, though staff were still trying to confirm them Tuesday.

Carol Gillette said she heard a crash that sounded “like a bomb” as trees smashed cars and houses in Oswego, Illinois.

“I haven’t called the insurance yet. I don’t know where to start,” Gillette told WBBM-TV. “This is the first time I’ve ever been through this. I’m just happy we are all alive.”

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By 10:30 a.m., 233,000 customers lacked power in Illinois, though the number was much higher hours earlier, according to PowerOutage.us.

The Chicago Fire Department said on the social media site X that there was only one serious injury in the nation’s third-largest city, a person who was hurt when a tree fell on a car.

In Joliet, Illinois, 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, authorities said many roads were blocked by trees.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport reported 81 flight cancellations as of Tuesday morning, and Midway International Airport reported eight cancellations.

The storms also cut power to thousands in Ohio and Pennsylvania and caused damage to property, trees and power lines. No injuries were reported.