EF-0 tornado occurred Monday in Schaumburg, Roselle: NWS

Clean-up efforts get underway after severe storms wreak havoc on Chicago area

Severe storms ripped apart trees, damaged homes and brought strong downpours Monday night across the Chicago area.

CHICAGO - The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down Monday in suburban Chicago.

The touchdown was brief, the NWS said. The EF-0 touched down in unincorporated Schaumburg and moved into Roselle before lifting.

In addition, the NWS says strong straight-line winds caused widespread tree damage in Streamwood, portions of Schaumburg and Roselle — west of the tornado track — and across a "large swath of west central Cook County."

The winds clocked in at 70 mph or greater, the NWS said.

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Also, winds as high as 90 to 95 mph caused structural damage in suburban Bellwood and Westchester.

Early Monday evening, a powerful storm began blowing through the Chicago area, leaving destruction behind.

"This storm was in the upper echelon of storm tops for mid-latitude, non-tropical thunderstorms," the weather service said.

ComEd said more than 53,000 customers lost power, with suburban Maywood taking the brunt with 44,000 outages. More than 13,000 remained without power Tuesday afternoon.

Service for over 40,000 ComEd customers across Chicago area impacted by severe weather

Michael Fountain from ComEd talks about the disruptions in service after severe storms wreaked havoc Monday night across Chicago.

Brookfield Zoo sustained "significant" damage from the storm and was delaying its opening Tuesday until the afternoon. "Animals and staff are safe," the zoo wrote on Twitter.

Videos posted to Twitter showed severe damage to a parking garage wall at the Toyota dealer in Lincoln Park. Part of a wall collapsed at the Toyota of Lincoln Park dealership at 1561 N. Freemont St., but no one was injured, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said.

The city also received numerous reports of fallen trees, making some roads impassable and covering cars with branches. Accompanying damages were reported but no reports of injuries caused by the storm, the Fire Department spokesman said.

SEVERE STORMS RIP THROUGH CHICAGO AREA WITH 90 MPH WINDS

At Schaumburg Regional Airport, two parked airplanes were reportedly blown over.

Winds gusted to 84 mph at O’Hare Airport and 69 mph at Midway Airport. A ground stop was ordered at O’Hare by the Federal Aviation Administration.

There were also reports of hail 1 inch in diameter.

Thousands were jolted by Weather Service warnings sent to cellphones that read: "Take shelter now in a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris."

The storm moved through the northern suburbs at 30 mph before turning southeast and increasing in speed before making its way through the city at 7 p.m., National Weather Service Meteorologist Ricky Castro said. "Warnings went out well in advance."

The weather also delayed the start time for a Cubs game against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field as fans sought shelter in the Friendly Confines.

The storms ushered in rising temperatures that are expected to reach the high 90s Tuesday and Wednesday. The city has opened its cooling centers as forecasters predict that humidity will make it feel more like 110 degrees.

Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.