Wilmette residents from Gillson Park to Green Bay Road lost power, trees, and transit options Monday afternoon, July 27, when a severe thunderstorm tore across the North Shore with 60 mph wind gusts, hail, and flash flooding. Village crews were still clearing debris Tuesday morning, July 28.
ComEd reported 65 separate outages in the Wilmette area alone, cutting electricity to 2,884 customers, according to Patch. Downed trees blocked streets, sewers clogged with debris, and the village described a high volume of storm-related service calls. Trees blocked streets.
The storm hit all four lakefront communities hard. Kenilworth Beach closed at 2:29 p.m. Monday, the village announced. Winnetka Golf Club canceled remaining tee times for the day. Clogged storm sewers were reported across Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth, and Glencoe, according to The Record North Shore.
Transit riders felt it, too. Metra canceled or severely delayed Union Pacific North trains serving stations in Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, and Glencoe due to high winds, Patch reported. The CTA suspended Yellow Line service in Skokie and Purple Line service in Evanston after debris fell onto tracks.
The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for much of Cook County on Monday, July 27. Across the broader Chicago region, more than 200,000 homes lost power by 1:40 p.m., according to the Chicago Tribune. A 70 mph gust was recorded at Midway International Airport just after noon, and tornado warnings were issued in Cook, DuPage, and Will counties.
National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Doom told the Chicago Tribune on Monday, July 27, that storms were already producing "quarter-sized hail or even slightly larger" as they moved through the region.
Heat indices between 100 and 115 degrees compounded the danger for residents already dealing with the outages. A cold front was expected to move through Monday evening, ending the extreme heat.
What to do
Wilmette officials urged residents to call 911 for downed power lines or immediate safety threats. For nonemergency reports such as downed trees or flooding, call 847-251-2700 during the day or 847-256-1200 after hours.
Nonemergency numbers for other villages:
- Winnetka: 847-716-3568
- Kenilworth: 847-251-9210
- Glencoe: 847-835-4111
Winnetka residents served by the village's own electric utility should report outages at 847-501-2531. All other ComEd customers can report outages online or at 800-EDISON-1.
What to watch
No village has confirmed whether storm damage will appear on upcoming board agendas. The Wilmette Village Board had a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, July 27, at Village Hall, 1200 Wilmette Avenue; the village has not publicly stated whether that meeting was held or postponed.
North Shore Government Week Ahead
- Tuesday, August 4, 6:30 p.m. — Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District special board meeting, Lloyd Room, Winnetka Library, 768 Oak Street. Topic: proposed Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district in Northfield. Storm-related infrastructure and utility issues may also surface at upcoming village board sessions across the North Shore.
