Thousands of power outages reported in Chicago area amid severe weather

Thousands of ComEd customers are without power Sunday amid the first of what could be multiple rounds of severe weather in the Chicago area.

According to the latest estimates from ComEd, at least 8,041 customers were without power as of 2:30 p.m. Central time as a line of severe thunderstorms rumbled through northern Illinois, sparking warnings in McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage and Cook counties.

Cook County is where the bulk of the outages were reported, with more than 6,000 customers without power there.

Another 1,100 customers were without power in DuPage County, according to the utility.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to roll through the area in the late afternoon and early evening hours, with severe weather once again possible as day-time heating and high humidity help to fuel storm development.

The entire Chicago area is at a “slight” risk of severe weather according to the Storm Prediction Center, with all severe weather hazards on the table, including gusty winds, heavy rain, large hail and a non-zero tornado risk.

from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/o2G8VzC