Illinois storm damage today: Clean up begins after storms that prompted tornado warnings cause widespread damage

CHICAGO (WLS) — A woman was killed in northwest Indiana as strong storms that prompted several tornado warnings caused widespread damage across the Chicago area Monday night.

In Cedar Lake, a 44-year-old woman was killed inside her Cedar Lake home after a tree fell on top of it, the Lake County (Ind.) Coroner’s Office said. The woman has been identified to the coroner’s office as Laura Nagel.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The National Weather Service will be dispatching teams across the area to survey the damage, which may take several days.

NWS staff in Romeoville needed to shelter in place at their office because of a tornado warning.

“We have a fortified tornado shelter here , luckily, but we did see a pretty nice area of rotation that was heading for the office and then sure enough it passed just nearby,” NWS meteorologist Kevin Doom said.

Doom said they are looking around two dozen potential areas where a tornado may have touched down based on radar data.

As of 8:55 a.m., ComEd reports 193,735 customers affected by power outages.

Trees and downed wires have led to I-55 to be shut down between U.S. 6 and River Road. Police said the road may be closed for 12-24 hours.

Illinois State Police said several vehicles were entangled in downed power lines. One person had to be transported to an area hospital with injuries, police said.

There is widespread damage across the area from the city to the suburbs with a lot of tree limbs and branches down a d scattered on sidewalks, yards and roadways.

A line of severe weather swept through Crestwood. Video captured major damage between 135th and 137th streets and from Central to Kedzie avenues in Robbins.

Multiple trees have been uprooted and a roof was also seen torn off of a home with lots of debris in people’s yards.

In unincorporated Shorewood, where a tornado reportedly hit, fallen trees covered yards and even partially collapsed a roof.

Neighbors had to break out a chainsaw to cut through the fallen trees. Crews arrived soon after to help clean the rest of the damage.

A Kane County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said there was a report of a tornado along I-88 near Route 47.

Winds up to 100 mph were reported in Homer Glen and New Lenox just after 9:30 p.m.

In Norridge, the storm’s winds uprooted a tree that fell on top of the roof of a home.

The Chicago Fire Department said they have responded to several calls about porch collapses and downed trees Monday night. No injuries have been reported from those incidents, but CFD said trees are down on most of the block at 70th and Campbell.

At 820 North Pulaski in Chicago, a building collapsed. CFD said a tree fell on a car in Austin and one person was transported to a hospital with a serious head injury.

There were also reports of tornadoes at both Midway and O’Hare airports.

As a result of the storms , Chicago’s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is telling residents to limit water use.

The agency issued an Overflow Action Day alert. That means water should be used for only “absolute necessities.”