Strong storms rip through area
A line of severe thunderstorms blew into the area on April 17, causing trees to fall, power to fail and tornado sirens to wail in Lake County.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Romeoville, Illinois, the supercell had been wreaking havoc in the Midwest all week, starting on April 13 and finally arriving in Lake County on April 17. Hail, torrential downpours and even tornadoes were reported, but tornadic activity in Lake County has not yet been determined at the time of this writing.
Wind gusts of 68 mph were reported in Cedar Lake and on E. Goodenow Road just west of Dyer in eastern Will County, Illinois. In Porter County, the NWS also reported wind gusts as high as 58 mph in Porter and wind speed of 47 mph in Beverly Shores.
The NWS reported leaning utility poles on E. Commerical Avenue near Nichols St. in Lowell. Damage to the awning over the fuel pumps at the Casey’s General Store convenience store on E. Commercial, although the business had power as of the morning of April 18.
There were lots of downed branches and trees throughout the Indian Heights subdivision. Two trees near the basketball court in Reservation Park were damaged due to the thunderstorm.
In downtown Lowell, damage to the sign at Mi Ranchito Mexican Restaurant was observed. Power was out from the AutoZone location at 980 E. Commercial to the Speedway convenience store located at 1691 E. Commerical Avenue. Electronic signs at the Lowell Public Library and at Evergreen Park were dark, and the traffic lights at the intersection of E. Commercial Avenue and Joe Martin Rd. were likewise out.
There were reports of tree limbs as large as six inches in diameter reported down in St. John.
Newton County saw its share of storm damage for the second month in a row. A billboard collapsed in Kentland, according to the NWS. A collapsed farm building, roof damage and an overturned tractor-trailer were also reported in the area. The NWS also reported numerous utility poles south of 1300 South between US 41 and State Line Road northwest of Kentland were toppled over due to the storm.
In Jasper County, damaged utility poles were reported north of Goodland on State Road 55 as well as near Brook. In the community of Porter in Porter County, a tree 12-inches in diameter was reported to have been uprooted.
NIPSCO reported as of 10:36 a.m. April 18 that a total of 7,709 customers were without power, including 2,954 customers in Lowell and 1,065 customers in St. John. As of 9:10 a.m. April 19, the number of total customers without power has dwindled to 218, with 55 of those customers in Lowell. There area also 94 customers in Kentland and 20 in Chesterton without Power at the time of this writing.
No tornadoes have been confirmed as of this writing. Please check back with the Lake County Observer for any updates.