Powerful winds leave damage across Chicago area

CHICAGO - High winds caused quite the mess across Chicagoland on Thursday – with gusts that could take your breath away!

"It’s incredible," said Fabio Moreira, who is visiting the Windy City from Brazil.

Strong winds reached up to 60 miles per hour in parts of the area – making for a blustery afternoon.

"We could see everything moving around. We went to the University of Chicago, and we saw trash cans on the floor, the lamp posts also tilting, the lights also tilting," said Giovana Jannuzzelli.

Some enjoyed it more than others.

"My ears are all frozen up and my hands too," said Ana Julia Fernanda.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 CHICAGO APP FOR BREAKING NEWS ALERTS

At the corner of Superior Street and State Street, a window on the 40th floor of a high-rise apartment building couldn’t take the pressure. No one was injured when the window shattered, but the Chicago Fire Department had to block the street to clean up the mess.

Meanwhile, in Jefferson Park, a downed tree on Ardmore Avenue sent power lines to the ground.

Near 91st Street and Western Avenue, roofing from a nearby building was torn off – nothing but a pile of debris now.

Many people did their best to stay ‘grounded’ Thursday, while holding out hope for warmer weather soon.

"I was walking and actually almost got blown into the street, so it was very strong today," said Jaylen Johnson, who lives and works downtown. "Ideal forecast is, it would be 77 tomorrow and 77 for the rest of the summer."

Others accepted what Mother Nature brought their way – wind and all.

"I mean it’s called the Windy City for a reason," said one woman.

As of 9 p.m. Thursday, ComEd was working to restore more than 100 power outages, which impacted more than 1,200 customers in the area.