Severe storms plowed through the Chicago area Thursday night, after the record-breaking high temperatures created conditions favorable for an outbreak.

Thursday night had brought the Chicago area's highest risk of tornadoes since July 15, 2024, when multiple tornadoes touched down in the area. But while there were signs of rotation in some storm cells, there did not end up being any tornado warnings in the Chicago area Thursday night.

However, multiple "destructive" storms pounded the area as the evening dragged on.

The scene in Lombard showed buckets of hail coming down. Farther north in Round Lake, the winds toppled trees — with heavy limbs causing damage to the roof of a home.

The severe weather swept across the suburbs to the city, and right into Northwest Indiana — bringing lightning and making for dangerous conditions.

The storm was so severe that O'Hare International Airport stopped all flights from departing. Flight after flight was delayed, leaving those looking to fly out forced to sit and wait out the storm.

And it was better to wait it out, considering that in Cicero, the winds sent a tree crashing onto a truck. There was no word of any injuries involved with that incident, but the downed trees made getting around difficult no matter where one lived.

The city of Chicago was not exempted. In Rogers Park, sidewalks were covered in branches as the severe thunderstorm snapped anything in its path.

A tree also came down on a car in the Beverly neighborhood, at 107th Street and Prospect Avenue.

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation said it received more than 700 service requests citywide for downed trees, large limbs, and other debris — mostly in northern neighborhoods. Streets and San said forestry crews were working rapidly to assess and clear hazards involving public ways and property.

Storms also plowed through the downtown area Thursday evening and soaked Soldier Field, where a Beyoncé concert was delayed for hours and concertgoers had to take shelter.

ComEd reported more than 1550,000 customers lost power in Northern Illinois during the storms. About 73,000 customers had been restored as of just before 10 p.m., ComEd said.

The utility said the hardest-hit areas were Chicago, Joliet, and Crestwood. NIPSCO in Northwest Indiana reported 50,000 customers without power.

A Tornado Watch was issued for the entire Chicago area Thursday evening. It had been scheduled to run until 10 p.m., but was dropped early.

A separate Tornado Watch is in effect until 2 a.m. for La Porte County, Indiana.

Overlapping Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were also issued throughout the evening for the entire area, with some of the storm cells prompting the warnings being deemed "destructive." The storms carried the threat of wind gusts of up to 80 mph and quarter-sized hail.

A late Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued until 10:15 p.m. for La Porte County, Indiana.

The storms finally left the Chicago area before 9 p.m.

In the afternoon, the temperature reached 93 degrees at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday afternoon, topping the previous May 15 record high of 91, set in 1962.

The record high temperatures fueled the storm development as the first 90-degree day of the year showed up nearly three weeks ahead of what is typical.

High temperatures like we saw Thursday now occur earlier in the summer as the climate warms overall. The average first 90-degree day is currently June 3, whereas 100 years ago it was June 18.

What to do if there is a tornado warning

Should a tornado warning be issued, make sure you have your safety plan in mind.

Seek sturdy shelter on the lowest level of your home, preferably your basement, away from exterior walls and windows. If you do not have a basement or access to a basement in your apartment building, an interior bathroom with no exterior walls or windows in the lowest level you can access is preferred. Bring your children and pets with you into this safe location.

Do your best to stay away from windows and exterior walls if a tornado warning is in effect to avoid flying glass and debris, and to lessen the risk of being injured if a tornado touches down and your home is damaged.

Make sure you have a way to monitor the weather and weather alerts with you, like a weather app. Our First Alert weather team will be live with up-to-the-minute coverage during tornado warnings to get you the information you need as fast as possible on our stream.