Dunkirk101
11-14-2005, 04:35 AM
They don't call us " The Windy City" for nothing :)
Chicago: November 14, 2005
Gusty winds knock out power to 130,000
Wind gusts of more than 50 mph knocked out power to more than 130,000 ComEd customers, damaged hundreds of trees and played havoc with the Bears vs. 49ers game at Soldier Field.
The winds blew in Saturday evening on the edge of a low-pressure system headed for Canada, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a wind advisory that continued until 4 p.m. Sunday. DuPage County Airport reported the highest gust, 53 mph at 1 p.m. Sunday, while gusts at O'Hare and Midway were only slightly slower. Sustained winds of up to 38 mph were also reported according to National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Ratzer.
Power lines were hardest hit in the north suburbs of Libertyville and Waukegan, but all the areas served by ComEd had some outages, occurring at widely varying times.
"Just as one area would be restored, we'd get reports of outages in other areas," ComEd spokeswoman Judy Rader said.
As of late Sunday, 6,600 customers were still without power, and the utility was not certain when they would be back online.
Could resume tonight
On Chicago's public ways, the Streets and Sanitation Department reported damage to 118 trees, 27 traffic lights and 22 light poles. The wind also sent construction signs and barrels sailing across the tollway, but no accidents were caused, state police said.
At Soldier Field, NFL quarterbacks stuck to a ground game, as capricious gusts spoiled at least one field goal and contributed to several fumbled punt returns.
The winds started to calm around 5 p.m. Sunday and were expected to be light and variable by this morning. But they could return with another low-pressure area expected late tonight.
The turbulence is seasonal, Ratzer said.
Chicago: November 14, 2005
Gusty winds knock out power to 130,000
Wind gusts of more than 50 mph knocked out power to more than 130,000 ComEd customers, damaged hundreds of trees and played havoc with the Bears vs. 49ers game at Soldier Field.
The winds blew in Saturday evening on the edge of a low-pressure system headed for Canada, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a wind advisory that continued until 4 p.m. Sunday. DuPage County Airport reported the highest gust, 53 mph at 1 p.m. Sunday, while gusts at O'Hare and Midway were only slightly slower. Sustained winds of up to 38 mph were also reported according to National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Ratzer.
Power lines were hardest hit in the north suburbs of Libertyville and Waukegan, but all the areas served by ComEd had some outages, occurring at widely varying times.
"Just as one area would be restored, we'd get reports of outages in other areas," ComEd spokeswoman Judy Rader said.
As of late Sunday, 6,600 customers were still without power, and the utility was not certain when they would be back online.
Could resume tonight
On Chicago's public ways, the Streets and Sanitation Department reported damage to 118 trees, 27 traffic lights and 22 light poles. The wind also sent construction signs and barrels sailing across the tollway, but no accidents were caused, state police said.
At Soldier Field, NFL quarterbacks stuck to a ground game, as capricious gusts spoiled at least one field goal and contributed to several fumbled punt returns.
The winds started to calm around 5 p.m. Sunday and were expected to be light and variable by this morning. But they could return with another low-pressure area expected late tonight.
The turbulence is seasonal, Ratzer said.