Damaging Wind in Illinois, October 29, 1996

A fast moving squall line produced wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph across north central and northeast Illinois. The storm downed numerous trees, limbs and power lines. As many as 90,000 customers were without power. Five hundred repair crews were sent out. Electricity was out for as long as 30 hours in some locations. In some areas it was estimated that farmers could see losses of 10 bushels of corn per acre do to wind damage but no specific dollar amounts were available. Here are some specific damage reports from each county. Four trees were blown down in Polo at around 440 pm in Ogle County. In Lee County tree limbs were down throughout the county. A truck was overturned on I-88 in the northeast part of the county at about 500 pm. In Winnebago Couunty a 300 foot tall radio tower was toppled near Rockford. Numerous branches were downed. At Rockton 2 trees were blown down. A 58 mph wind gust was recorded at the Peru Airport in La Salle County at 500 pm. Tree limbs and power lines were downed throughout Boone and DeKalb Counties. Tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Livingston County. A machine shed was destroyed at Saunemin and a grain truck was overturned at 600 pm in the northeast part of the county. Emergency management in McHenry recorded a wind gust to 80 mph before 600 pm and a Bass Pro Shop sustained roof damage. In Kane County a wind gust to 79 mph was reported by a spotter in Carpentersville at 555 pm. In Geneva a shed was destroyed and a car crashed into a downed tree on the road. A large tree fell on the roof of a house in Batavia. In Kendall County a 65 mph wind gust occurred in Plano at 545 pm and a 60 mph gust hit Yorkville at 555 pm. A barn was damaged near Yorkville. In Grundy County emergency management recorded a gust to 71 mph at the EOC at 545 pm. Winds tore off part of the roof and siding of a store in Mazon around 600 pm. The debris damaged vehicles. Trees were blown down in Deerfield in Lake County. At a marina at Wonder Lake, 2 speed boats, a pontoon boat and a small utility boat sank. Trees fell on 2 cars at Wonder Lake. In Cook County wind gust reports of 68 mph on the west side of Chicago, 60 mph at Orland Park and 80 mph at Chicago Heights were reported by spotters between 620 and 640 pm. There was roof damage to an apartment and business in Calumet Park. In Du Page County, a 58 mph wind gust was recorded at the airport in West Chicago near 600 pm. A 12 foot square section of roof was removed from a house in Lombard. Trees and wires were down throughout the county. In Will County a semi truck was blown off I-80 east of Minooka at 600 pm. A spotter in Joliet reported a wind gust to 64 mph at 611 pm. Two houses were damaged by falling trees in Kankakee and another tree fell on a house in Aroma Park in Kankakee County. The emergency management coordinator for Ford County had a wind gust to 61 mph at Stelle around 615 pm. In Iroquois County the emergency management coordinator reported a wind gust to 63 mph at the sheriff's office in Watseka at about 645 pm. A truck was blown over on I-57 near Danforth, injuring the driver. Road signs and tree limbs were blown over. Trees were blown down at Buckley.