Severe thunderstorms swept through several regions in Illinois and Indiana on Thursday, leaving a trail of destruction and disrupting the lives of thousands of residents. Strong winds, lightning, and heavy rain led to widespread power outages and triggered tornado watches across both states as emergency services and utility crews scrambled to respond to the impact.

As of 10 p.m. Thursday, Illinois utility provider ComEd reported a total of 1,104 outages across the state, with more than 82,000 customers left without electricity. Cook County was hit the hardest, with over 63,000 residents experiencing power loss by 9 p.m. Utility workers continued their efforts late into the night to restore service, but damage to infrastructure caused delays in several neighborhoods, particularly in suburban areas where tree limbs and debris had downed power lines.

In neighboring Indiana, the situation was no less severe. Nipsco, the region’s main energy provider, noted that more than 20,000 customers had been affected by outages, particularly in the cities of Crown Point and Gary. Residents in these areas reported felled trees, damaged rooftops, and significant flooding in low-lying zones. Emergency alerts and tornado warnings added to the concerns as the storms moved quickly through the region, causing disruption during the evening commute and stranding some residents in storm-affected areas.

Meteorologists issued a tornado watch that remained in effect until 10 p.m. for multiple counties across both states. In Illinois, counties under the watch included Lake, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Cook, DuPage, Will, and Kankakee. Meanwhile in Indiana, the alert extended to Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, and Jasper counties. These watches were prompted by atmospheric instability and weather models indicating the possibility of tornado formation due to high wind shear and moisture in the system.

While no tornadoes had been officially confirmed by Thursday evening, the tornado watch urged residents to remain vigilant and seek shelter in the event of worsening conditions. Emergency management agencies advised people to avoid unnecessary travel, charge mobile devices, and prepare for extended outages as utility companies assessed the full scope of the damage.

With summer storm season just beginning, officials in both Illinois and Indiana are urging residents to stay alert and have emergency plans in place. The recent storms serve as a stark reminder of how quickly weather conditions can change, and how important it is to follow official alerts and take safety precautions seriously. Damage assessments and power restoration efforts are expected to continue into the weekend, as cleanup begins across the affected regions.