Storms in McHenry County cause flooding, tree damage; man struck by lightning

Some localized flooding and power outages were reported in McHenry County following waves of thunderstorms overnight and early Tuesday morning, officials report.

In Marengo, a man was injured when he was struck by lightning early Tuesday, authorities said.

About 170 homes in the county were without power Tuesday morning, McHenry County Emergency Management Director David Christensen said. About half an inch to 1½ inches of rain accumulated, according to early rain reports from the National Weather Service. Most of the gusty winds were reported just south and west of McHenry County, NWS Lead Meteorologist Jake Petr said.

The Volo Museum experienced unexpected flooding from Monday’s storms that affected the Titanic exhibit, according to a Volo Museum news release.

“This is the first flood to happen in this building in 40 years,” museum director Brian Grams said in the release. “We thoroughly inspected everything, and there were no broken pipes, roof leaks, or any other obvious points of entry for such large amounts of water. Even the perimeter of the building, with a concrete floor, was dry with no evidence of cracks or holes. The flood is a total mystery.”

The exhibit was temporarily closed, and the museum staff dismantled and reassembled the exhibit to ensure the preservation of its historic contents. The Titanic exhibit was set to reopen Wednesday, according to the release.

Mike Magnuson, director of public works and engineering for the city of Crystal Lake said the city “just had minor damage” and a few tree limbs down that were cleared away by Tuesday afternoon.

“We had some flooding during the peak of it,” he said early Tuesday afternoon. “The water has gone down. We still have standing water in low-lying areas that normally will flood when we get 4 inches of rain.”

Tuesday’s storms followed an earlier wave of violent weather Saturday evening, which brought more damage. That storm results in about 4,000 customers losing power and multiple reports of downed trees, branches and power lines, Christensen said, who added that a home near Hebron sustained substantial damage when a tree fell on it.

Petr said a “couple of complexes of storms” hit McHenry County Saturday night, with the strongest winds to the north. Richmond also reported multiple downed tree branches, Petr said. Rainfall measurements ranged from 1.5 to 4 inches, he said. Many reports of localized flooding were reported in Crystal Lake and Woodstock, including over a foot of standing water reported on Route 14 in Crystal Lake.

“Going forward, looks like we clear out for at least a couple of days and then Friday, there is renewed chances for showers and thunderstorms,” Petr said.