Severe Weather Pushes Through, Damage Limited

The violent thunderstorms that moved through the area Tuesday night left Plainfield fairly unscathed, but the same cannot be said for neighboring communities.

A Plainfield fire/police dispatcher said they had no calls about severe damage or power outages stemming from the storms that moved through between 7 and 8 p.m. and triggered tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings from the National Weather Service in Romeoville.

In Naperville, the National Weather Service reported a funnel cloud being spotted at about 7:05 p.m. on Route 59, five miles north of Interstate 88. Naperville officials, however, said they aren't sure there was tornado given that they detected exceptionally strong wind, but not circulating wind.

The storm caused power outages and downed trees, but there were no reports of structural damage, said Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis.

In Romeoville, there were reported wind gusts of up to 66 mph and power outages in many sections of town. Downed trees and car accidents were reported, dispatchers there said.

Residents in Bolingbrook were reporting the same thing, with wind estimates ranging from 50 mph to 71 mph and many trees and tree limbs down as a result.

According to ComEd’s outage map, between 3,001 to 10,000 people in the Joliet region, which includes Plainfield, Romeoville and Bolingbrook, were without power Tuesday night.

While a severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 1 a.m. Wednesday, the most recent National Weather Service forecast indicates the chance of storms has been reduced to 30 percent and they are expected to be scattered.