Supercell storm tore through northern Illinois and 19,000 residents remain without power

Monday night, a high-powered storm tore through northern Illinois, specifically in DuPage, Kane, and Cook Counties. In one instance, the roof of an apartment complex was completely ripped off. Now state officials are scrambling to restore lingering power outages.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) reported on Tuesday that there are no injuries or deaths associated with the storm. The highest winds were clocked at about 85 miles per hour at multiple locations.

Alicia Tate-Nadeau, the director of the agency, says that the priority now is on repairing power outages.

“Our main concern as you would expect is with temperatures anywhere between 105 with with heat index going up to 110 degrees," said Tate-Nadeau. "The focus really is on getting the electricity back and making sure that we can provide cooling to our most vulnerable populations, they're out there.”

Statewide there were about 19,000 residents without power as of Tuesday afternoon due to the supercell storm. That's down from 125,000 residents right after it hit. The IEMA expects power should be back for all residents by three o'clock on Wednesday.

There are currently 21 cooling centers in operation in Cook County, and an additional six throughout the state. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency advises residents to beware of extreme heat.