‘Wow’ Winds UPDATE: Sugar Grove Leads Region With Gust of 64 MPH, Widespread Damage
Wind damaged the roof and other parts of The Well, a church near the Kane County Cougars’ Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva.
It seems as if — in a winter full of extreme weather events — Kane County is almost always topping the charts of the National Weather Service Chicago’s greatest hits.
This time around, it’s dangerous winds, and guess what? Sugar Grove Airport is No. 1 in the region, recording a wind speed of 64 mph.
Wind takes down street sign, downtown Aurora. Just down the street from Paramount Theater. (Photo by Robin Rix)
Winds were high enough to tear part of the roof from The Well, the church at 33W835 Cherry Lane in Geneva. The building sustained damage to its HVAC system, as well.
“The campus on Cherry Lane will be closed to everyone until we can assess the damage and get enough repairs done to ensure safety,” the Well said on its Facebook page. “Parts of the building may be unstable, so we ask that no one approach the building please. We will be open for business this week from our homes and favorite coffee shops and will keep everyone informed of the situation as it develops.”
The church will be celebrating its 15th anniversary next weekend, sources said.
Also in Geneva, a transformer fire caused a power outage to the downtown area Sunday. It is not yet known if the wind had anything to do with the fire, but it did make things difficult for firefighters and Public Works Department crews that had to battle the blaze, then make needed repairs.
- If you have a photo of wind damage in Kane County, please email it with caption information to kanecountyconnects@gmail.com.
During the past weekend’s high winds, the traffic light located at River Street and Route 72 in East Dundee fell and was removed. While no damage or injury was reported, the light has been removed and will be replaced. A temporary traffic light has been put in place. Staff is working closely with the Illinois Department of Transportation to ensure a replacement, however, early estimates indicate that a temporary light could be in place for 12-16 weeks.
Overview
City of Rochelle photo, from NWS website.
- Wind gusts of 50 to 64 mph were observed across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana.
- The peak wind gust at Chicago O’Hare was 60 mph.
- These winds were a result of a powerful, strengthening low pressure system that moved across the region Saturday night into Sunday.
Regional Damages
Illinois State Police Photo, from NWS website.
Regionally, high winds caused downed tree limbs and vehicle, home and business damage throughout Chicago and northwest Indiana.
Kevin Doellman photo, from NWS website.
Elsewhere, semi trucks were overturned by wind near the intersection of Ridge Road and Route 126 in Kendall County, on I-39 two miles north of the I-80 junction and on I-57 at the Peotone exit, according to the NWS storm reports summary.
A building collapsed in Benton, portions of a roof were blown off in Rochelle and a gas station canopy was blown over in Kankakee.
Wind Gusts
Land Location Speed Time/Date ---------------------------------------------------- Sugar Grove - Aurora Arpt 64 MPH 0100 PM 02/24 Gary Airport 63 MPH 0645 AM 02/24 Wheeling - Chicago Exec Arpt 62 MPH 0830 AM 02/24 Chicago OHare 60 MPH 0326 PM 02/24 Peru Airport 60 MPH 0850 AM 02/24 3 SW Midway Airport 60 MPH 1142 AM 02/24 Chicago Midway 59 MPH 1116 AM 02/24 Valparaiso Airport 59 MPH 1117 AM 02/24 Morris Airport 58 MPH 1055 AM 02/24 West Chicago - DuPage Arpt. 58 MPH 0130 PM 02/24 Joliet Lock-Dam 58 MPH 0100 PM 02/24 Rockford Airport 56 MPH 0301 PM 02/24 Rochelle Airport 56 MPH 1155 AM 02/24 Lansing Airport 55 MPH 0155 PM 02/24 Pontiac Airport 55 MPH 0555 AM 02/24 Rensselaer Airport 55 MPH 1235 PM 02/24 DeKalb Airport 54 MPH 0955 AM 02/24 Romeoville - Lewis Airport 53 MPH 0315 PM 02/24 Waukegan Airport 52 MPH 0244 PM 02/24 Midewin RAWS 51 MPH 1105 AM 02/24
