PHOTOS: Severe storms leave behind damage in Chicagoland

CHICAGO — Severe storms with reports of tornadoes blew through Illinois Monday night, including the Chicago area, toppling trees and power poles and cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands of people.

A 44-year-old woman in Northwest Indiana was killed after a tree fell onto a home.

Employees at the National Weather Service in suburban Chicago had to take cover and pass coverage duties to colleagues in northern Michigan for a time. The agency reported wind speeds in the region as high as 75 mph (120 kph).

By 8 a.m. Tuesday, 254,000 customers lacked power in Illinois, though the number was much higher hours earlier, according to PowerOutage.us .

The storms brought tornado warnings and drenching rain to Chicagoland, and caused damage throughout the area.

Here’s a compilation of storm damage from Monday night:

WGN News viewers have also shared photos of some of the damage left behind.

In Hanover Park, viewer Hollie Lacey shared a photo of a downed tree that collapsed in front of a home.

Large bolts of lightning piercing the sky in Shorewood were caught on camera by Lacey A. Cole.

Tree limbs could be seen toppled over in Ukraine Village on Huron Street.

A video captured by the viewer Amy Borowski shows a massive wall cloud in Naperville.

An uprooted tree was spotted in Frankfort by viewer Maryann Visin.

Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

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