Extensive Power Outages Lead To School Closures In McHenry Co.

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — Extensive power outages across McHenry County has led to several school districts cancelling classes Thursday.

Among the school districts that have announced closures due to power outages are Community High School District 155, Crystal Lake Elementary District 47, Cary School District 26 and Fox River Grove District 3. Freezing rain overnight led to reports of downed trees and power lines across the county, and as of 6 a.m., 23 percent of residents in McHenry County were without power, according to ComEd's outage map.

Among the communities hardest hit by power outages are Cary, where 41 percent of ComEd users are without power early Thursday, and Crystal Lake, where 38 percent are in the dark.

Several schools also lost power during the storm, including two District 155 schools and the district's transportation department, according to school officials.

Three District 300 schools, Golfview Elementary, Lakewood Elementary and Westfield Community School, all lost power late on Wednesday, according to a message from Superintendent Susan Harkin, which was posted on D300's Facebook page. The school district plans to make a final determination regarding school closures by 6:15 a.m.

ComEd crews will be working Thursday to restore power. ComEd expects to restore 80 percent of outages by Thursday evening with the majority of remaining outages should be fixed by Saturday evening.