A fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms passed through the north and northwest suburbs Monday night, knocking down tree limbs and power lines and leaving an estimated 5,000 Chicago-area households without electricity.
No serious injuries were reported. The line of storms, which originated near Minneapolis, moved southeast, hitting the Illinois-Wisconsin state line at about 7 p.m., said Steve Kahn of the National Weather Service in Romeoville.
With winds gusts clocked at 50 to 70 m.p.h., the rough weather moved through the area and out over Lake Michigan by 9 p.m.
“It passed through pretty quickly,” said Dee McAndrew of the Buffalo Grove Police Department. “We had some trees down.”
Communities hardest hit by power outages were Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg, with 1,940 customers out; Grayslake, with 1,789 out; Wildwood, with 924 out, and Zion, with 459 out, said Commonwealth Edison Co. spokesman Matt Triaca.
Crews were expected to work through the night restoring electricity, Triaca said.
