Hundreds Without Power In Lake Co. Following Storms

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Strong winds ripped through Lake County Tuesday, leaving behind damage to some homes.

Hundreds are also currently without power in the Grayslake and Libertyville area as of early Wednesday, according to the ComEd power outage map. In the Grayslake area, strong wind gusts blew shingles off a roof. In other parts of the county, the strong winds ripped off tree branches.

The damage in Lake did not appear to be as bad or as widespread as the aftermath from the storm in McHenry County. Crystal Lake, Cary, Algonquin, McHenry and area towns were hit especially hard and thousands are still without power Wednesday.

The storms Tuesday evening produced wind gusts up to 60 mph, according to trained spotter reports posted by the National Weather Service's early Wednesday. In Algonquin, the Algonquin/Fire Protection District kept busy with first responders being dispatched to about 30 storm-related calls around 5 p.m.

The calls included requests for help with downed wires, lightning strikes, trees on and in homes and vehicles, medical emergencies because of power outages and roads that had become unpassable, according to a news release from the fire department.

No one was injured, fire officials said.

"The fire department is currently out in the community removing debris, assisting residents, and monitoring downed power lines until Com-Ed remedies the dangers," fire officials said Tuesday night.

Here is a look at other National Weather Service storm reports in McHenry County:

• 6:38 p.m.: Multiple public reports of trees and power lines downed in the Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Cary and McHenry area.
• 7 p.m.: Large trees uprooted in McHenry.
• 7:03 p.m.: Reports of multiple trees down near Bull Valley.
• 7:05 p.m.: A delayed report relayed via social media of a large tree down through a roof in McHenry with a large tree also blown down in a neighboring yard.
• 7:05 p.m.: Numerous trees reported down near Wonder Lake. One tree had most of its branches removed.

The powerful storms Tuesday came on the heels of Monday night storms that also caused damage to area homes and trees. The National Weather Service on Tuesday afternoon confirmed that an EF-1 tornado, which is considered moderate and can produce wind gusts between 86 and 110 mph, touched down in McHenry.

No injuries have been reported following either the Monday or Tuesday storms.

Meanwhile, Wednesday is on track to be another hot and humid day. A heat advisory is in effect for the Chicago area. Also, more storms are in the forecast this evening. There's also a chance for storms on Thursday and Friday.

This is a developing story. Check back to Patch for updates. Do you have storm photos you'd like to share? Text to the editor at 847-790-6417 or send via e-mail to amie.schaenzer@patch.com.