Severe thunderstorms to pass through Chicago area Wednesday

CHICAGO - A large portion of northern Illinois was under a severe thunderstorm warning Wednesday as a band of of bad weather passed through the region.

By 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, more than 100,000 customers remained without power from a Tuesday night storm that packed wind gusts up to 70 mph, according to Commonwealth Edison.

Residents in Crystal Lake say a brief but powerful storm broke trees, damaged property, and knocked out power in their neighborhood. 

Large tree limbs were on houses, cars, fences and in yards. Residents say Tuesday afternoon the sky became dark and a strong wind came roaring in for less than 5 minutes but the damage was surprising. 

They say one night without electricity wasn’t bad but a few homeowners planned to purchase generators to get through the next few days of expected heat and humidity. 

Com Ed trucks were seen driving toward the impacted area, while neighbors helped each other saw limbs into smaller sizes that could be moved off roofs and out of the roadway. 

Another round of strong to severe weather began rolling into the Chicago area Wednesday morning. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued around 9:45 a.m. and expired at 10:45 a.m., the weather service said.

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A heat advisory is in effect for Chicago from noon to 7 p.m. 

The combined heat and humidity will make it feel like 105 degrees outside.

Winds at O’Hare Airport gusted to 59 mph just after 10 a.m., powerful enough to blow tents, down branches and possible down small trees, according to the weather service.

Another band of storms is possible late Wednesday afternoon or evening, with damaging winds, isolated large hail and a "limited" risk of tornados, the weather service said. The system will likely develop before 11 p.m.

Strong, straight line winds will also play a factor in today's weather.

Click here for a full list of local weather alerts.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.