Chicago Weather: High wind warning issued Saturday, damage-producing gusts topping 60 mph
High winds blow off part of Elk Grove apartment complex roof
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A high wind warning is in effect until 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Gusts could top 60mph in some parts of the area. The highest gusts were expected between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. but expect it to be windy all day long, ABC7 Meteorologist Greg Dutra said.
The high wind warning was issued for Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, Lake and Livingston counties in Illinois and Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton an Porter counties in Indiana.
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The brutal force of blustering winds ripping down parts of this roof from this apartment in Elk Grove Village.
Fire crews were called by a neighbor who saw the debris blowing from the apartment on Charlela Lane.
"I just felt the whole building shake," displaced resident, Mike Maroni.
People who live in the 60-unit complex were forced to evacuate their homes due to the damage.
"There was water seeping into my building, and I called the office and they're like, 'Well, yeah, the roof just blew off,'" Maroni said.
Authorities said everyone was able to leave their apartments safely as crews went door-to-door in the six-story building to make sure everyone was accounted for.
"We've got crews up on the roof, right now. They're trying to assess the conditions of the roof itself to see if the building will be intact and get people back in," said Chief Richard Mikel, with the Elk Grove Village Fire Department.
Fire officials said residents are being allowed back inside as of Saturday night, if they so choose.
While fire officials said they're thankful no one was hurt, they said there could be water damage to the top floor. The Red Cross is assisting any families who might need it.
The strong winds, also causing widespread damage throughout Chicago.
The outdoor area at a restaurant on Diversey near Central was also blown apart.
Several people already also woke up to damaged cars and debris in their yards on Chicago's North Side. The heavy winds knocked down trees and took down entire light poles in Albany Park and North Center.
"I looked out the window, then I saw that hanging there," said Debra Sherrell.
The weather event lasted mere moments, leaving lasting impacts for, at least, the many days to come.
Chicago's O'Hare Airport also had a temporary ground stop Saturday afternoon due to the strong winds.
The Chicago area saw 50-plus miles per hour gusts which is enough to do damage, Dutra said.
There was also a brief unconfirmed EF-0 tornado just at 11 a.m. in Little Rock, Illinois, in the northwest corner of Kendall County, ABC7 Meteorologist Phil Schwarz said. It had winds upwards of 80 mph and lasted between three and five miles.
Scattered showers will also hang around through early afternoon, embedded storms would not be surprising, Dutra said.
Sunday is expected to be much calmer with a good amount of sunshine, chwarz said.
Temps will drop as the cold front passes through but are expected to still be above seasonal norms.
Most of next week looks quiet with a chilly start and warming Wednesday and Thursday. The coldest air of the season will start to arrive Friday with our first official sub-freezing temperatures by next weekend, Schwarz said.
