Weather
Wind Gusts Reach 74 MPH As More Severe Weather Hits Illinois
The smoke some residents were smelling early Thursday came from fires in Kansas, NWS said.
ILLINOIS — Although storms headed for Illinois from Iowa weakened overnight, non-storm high winds reached 74 mph near the lake, the National Weather Service reported Thursday morning.
Fierce winds were also reported in Kane County, where 69 mph winds were clocked in Sugar Grove. Winds of 66 mph were recorded at O'Hare Airport, the National Weather Service said.
Unusually strong and damaging winds blasted through our area last night with widespread 55 to 65 mph gusts. Here's a look at peak gusts since 8 PM yesterday. Did you see damage? Let us know with a reply and a picture. #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/NCr7iraZ5F
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 16, 2021
The weather service also assured residents that the smoke some reported smelling early Thursday isn't from local fires, but from wildfires in Kansas.
Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Any early risers out there may smell smoke. Have no fear - there are no fires nearby. The smoke is actually from Kansas, traveling some 600 miles overnight with the strong southwest winds. #ilwx #inwx
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 16, 2021
On Wednesday night, the National Weather Service was warning of the potential for downed tree limbs, trees or power lines, along with widespread power outages.
As of just before 1 a.m., ComEd was reporting more than 35,000 customers without power across the area. By 7:30 a.m., that number had dropped to around 12,000.
Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
'Amazon Won't Let Us Leave': Warehouse Worker's Last Text
It's the latest round of severe weather to hit Illinois. On Friday night, a tornado swept through Edwardsville, Illinois, where six Amazon workers died in a partial building collapse.
Another recent gust... 69 mph in Sugar Grove. These are serious winds similar to a severe thunderstorm! Power outages and downed trees are likely over the next few hours as these winds continue in the Chicago area! https://t.co/tPwt2XxEme
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 16, 2021
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