* Sun-Times…
Turns out those feared 75-mph derecho winds might have been just a lot of hot air.
Although the National Weather Service logged reports of a funnel cloud in Will County and a possible tornado touchdown west of Chicago, most of the metropolitan area was spared from severe storms. […]
Severe-storm warnings sent fearful commuters home from work early, canceled classes for high school and college students and scratched a concert at Millennium Park.
“The Chicago area didn’t get hit because the cool air off Lake Michigan weakened the hot moist air that fuels thunderstorms,” [National Weather Service meteorologist Ben Deubelbeis] said. […]
Suburbs to the south and west were not as lucky. There were reports of golf-ball size hail in Naperville, Bourbonnais and Aurora. Winds topping 62 mph were reported in Lowell, nearly 100 miles southwest of the Chicago.
Closer to Chicago, nickel-size hail was reported in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates.
At its height, storms left about 54,000 ComEd customers in the Chicago area without power, mostly to the south and southwest. About 6,800 customers were still without power Thursday morning.
* Tribune…
All inbound and outbound trains on Metra’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific lines were temporarily halted about 5:30 p.m. due to the severe weather, along with some stoppages on other service, according to a Metra spokesman.
Of Metra’s 11 train lines, eight were moving again by a little before 7 p.m. Trains on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line had resumed service around 6 p.m. after being halted due to safety concerns earlier in the evening.
Trains on the Union Pacific lines remained stopped from about 5:30 p.m. until about 7:05 p.m., said Metra spokesman Tom Miller, but all service had resumed after that time. Delays were spread throughout the system.
The delays were a particular nuisance for Blackhawks fans who were eager to get home to catch the first game of the Stanley Cup Final.
Your experiences?
- Conservative Republican - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 10:47 am:
No, we didn’t all die, but that family in Lemont that had their entire home crisped by a lightning strike sure took a hit.
- RonOglesby - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 10:48 am:
Delayed my flight back home… was supposed to come in last night, but had a nice 6:00 am flight instead. Landed in sunny Chicago 7:30. What storm?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 10:48 am:
Got Tornado Siren, then the “all clear”, had a Funnel Cloud in Yorkville that turned south, Plainfield had a rotating cloud formation, and finally hail.
It’s like Oswego was surrounded, but all we got, (fortunately) was some hail and a quick downpour.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 10:49 am:
Yeah, I confess I’m a little disappointed. I was promised a wrath of God type of storm and we got bupkis. What am I going to do with all of the batteries, water and canned goods?
- OneMan - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 10:52 am:
Was driving home from the train station on Eola when the hail started. When just a little bit of hail that size hits your car it gets your attention…
- BleugrassBoy - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 11:00 am:
@47th Ward….
“What am I going to do with all of the batteries, water and canned goods?”
Hold on to ‘em. You’ll get another chance sooner than you think.
- Norseman - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 11:03 am:
=== The delays were a particular nuisance for Blackhawks fans who were eager to get home to catch the first game of the Stanley Cup Final ===
That must be why they went to 3 OTs. They wanted their fans to enjoy a long game.
- shore - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 11:03 am:
Same deal with the millenial paranoia, I’d rather be overprepared than caught with my pants down.
- Chavez-respecting Obamist - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 11:08 am:
There was a lot of lightening.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 11:10 am:
Just rain and distant thunder.
Usually in Chicago they overhype snow possibilities (the exception being the Feb. 1 storm a couple years back).
Still, given what’s happened out west with the tornadoes, and what’s happened here in the past, the warnings are appreciated.
- OneMan - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 11:22 am:
There were points out by me (Aurora) where the thunder was so consistent it just sounded like guys with the bass really turned up on their cars.
- Chucky Jay - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 11:24 am:
We were up in the press box for the Chicago Fire game in Bridgeview (just southwest of Chicago) and they finally postponed the match at about 8PM due to too much lightning in the area. The drive home was fairly tame and it never got too bad here..
- PublicServant - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 11:58 am:
My Jack Russell, creatively named Jack was sick, and I had to take him to the vet. It was pouring with light hail when I was on the way home. He’s really jittery in the car because he can’t understand how he’s moving when his legs aren’t. Anyway, while I couldn’t tell for sure because of the lightening, I think I ran a light. They’ll say driving too fast for conditions, but basically I didn’t want to break hard with the hail fearing I would slide…Oh well guess that’ll add to the outrageous vet bill I already paid.
- rusty618 - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 12:47 pm:
It’s a good thing you didn’t get anything like the “super derecho” that hit southern Illinois in May 2009 with 108mph winds and barometric pressure similar to a Cat 1 hurricane (which it looked like on radar!) Many were without power for 8-10 days. It would have wrecked havoc in Chicago.
- Charlatan Heston - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 12:51 pm:
A decent downpour and an great electric show…hardly the storm of the century. Is it just me or do weather persons appear to be increasingly melodramatic if their forecasts these days?
- Frenchie Mendoza - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 1:04 pm:
–
Is it just me or do weather persons appear to be increasingly melodramatic if their forecasts these days?
–
This has nothing to do with “melodramatic weather persons”. NWS on their storm prediction center page was reporting increasingly dire warnings as the day progressed. Say what you will about local TV people — Chicago or Springfield — but NWS/NOAA has no reason to be melodramatic and every reason to be careful and accurate.
The storms dissipated as they neared the cool lake but the straight line winds didn’t and that’s why several thousand people were out of power around Chicagoland.
It’s nice to poke fun at this kind of stuff and pretend we’re all just hapless victims of media and melodrama — but last night’s storms has the potential to be significant. We’re all lucky (minus the folks who suffered the lightning strike and who remain out of power) — and we can be grateful for that.
Here’s link to the storm prediction center:
http://www.spc.ncep.noaa.gov/
- Plutocrat03 - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 1:13 pm:
With the hammering the media takes when they underestimate an even , is it a surprise that they now overestimate the severity?
- He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 1:19 pm:
Look at the bright side Rich, you didn’t have to suffer through the Sox game last night.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 2:04 pm:
I heard a bunch of lightning and thunder but didn’t hear or see much rain. I am temporarily incapacitated, so I don’t get out much these days (but getting better). I was so wrapped up in the Hawks game that I probably ignored some of the storm. I don’t see any storm damage today, in my immediate vicinity.
My aged dog didn’t ignore the storm and had to be sedated. We gave her a half of an OTC anti-allergy pill, and that calmed her down.
What a game. I watched it to the thrilling end. I was well behaved, too. During the last game against the Kings, when the Hawks gave up the tying goal with 10 seconds left in regulation, I exploded in a tirade of profanity. The wife left the room that day and said she wouldn’t watch overtime with me.
- flea - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 3:46 pm:
I was attacked by buffalo nats on the west side of spfld yesterday afternoon…unmerciful
- Pot calling kettle - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 4:57 pm:
Was east bound on I-80 as the first set of storms blew in from the west. The storm that produced several tornado warnings was running along with us for an hour. We got to Joliet just as the sirens started going off and got our car into a parking garage just as the wall cloud passed overhead. It was a wild ride.
- dupage dan - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 4:58 pm:
Left work early. Took dupage dan dog for a walk (not a big fan of loud noises, he is). Made sure the down spouts were in good shape. Then watched the lightening get furious but the storm fizzled in Downers Grove. Better to be ready than caught out. Once ready, tho, I like to see some fireworks. Seems to be the season for it.
- Emily Booth - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 6:12 pm:
I live on the north side and we got hail along with rain, thunder and lightening. We had a worse hail storm last year. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to the weather.
- Judgment Day - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 6:32 pm:
Not a fun day yesterday. Was driving back North from downstate, taking IL Route 23 toward home. Driving the Ottawa to DeKalb stretch was flat out bad news. Tried to avoid the first wave (stopped in Ottawa), but mis timed it and ran smack into the trailing edge of the real storm.
Rain was horizontal and 100 to 150 foot visibility. Came out of it about halfway between Chicago Road (runs E-W) and Waterman (US 30). Storm just dropped off.
Sure am glad I didn’t try & take US 34 into Somonauk, Sandwich, and Plano. Can do without that experience again.
- Just The Way It Is One - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 7:51 pm:
Lots of rain at home,and plenty of lightning and thunder but lucked out on the WAY home–my Metra train ran right on time….Plus, it cooled-off quite nicely so we’d opened both main doors to our house for more comfort during the NEVER-ENDING it-seemed Blackhawks Stanley Cup Game 1 MARathon (but at least stayin’ up so late for the 5th Longest Game in History was all worth it in the end)…!
- Amalia - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 8:10 pm:
hail and a huge lightening strike that did some tree damage a couple of football field lengths away from casa de woman who prepared too much for the storm. (but then I’d rather over prepare!) adrenaline rush before 5 hour hockey fest.
- Roadiepig - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 8:51 pm:
We missed the severe weather down here in Central Ill, but I was blown away by the level of play by both teams last night in that incredible 3 OT Blackhawk win
- Roadiepig - Thursday, Jun 13, 13 @ 8:53 pm:
And wow- we made it a day without any news about pension reform- that’s pretty amazing too…
- Mokenavince - Friday, Jun 14, 13 @ 9:03 am:
Another law passed by a lets please everyone legislature. Is it any wonder the people have lost faith in this group.
A part time legislature with full time benefits.
What a joke.