Storms down trees and power lines in McHenry County, with another line of risky weather on the way

Sunday night’s thunderstorms tore down trees and power lines in McHenry County, officials report – with more damage potentially on the way Monday evening as more storms are expected to hit the area again.

A number of downed trees and electrical lines were reported in the county, especially in Lake in the Hills and Crystal Lake, McHenry County Emergency Management Director David Christensen said. More than 600 outages were reported by ComEd Sunday night. There are still 21 outages affecting more than 250 customers as of Monday afternoon, according to ComEd.

Crystal Lake residents wrote on social media platforms of a few loud booms that sounded like lightning strikes nearby Sunday night. Many said they could feel their houses shake.

An earthquake was recorded about a mile northwest of Somonauk in DeKalb County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The 3.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 2:53 a.m. and was reportedly 6 miles in depth, according to the USGS.

Rainfall totals in McHenry County were in the range of half-an-inch to about 1.5 inches in McHenry County, National Weather Service meteorologist David King said. That was on top of heavy rainfalls Saturday.

Heat index values were expected to go as high as 105 to 110 degrees Monday, according to the NWS. Following the heat, severe thunderstorms are again expected throughout northern Illinois, starting as early as 6 p.m. in northwestern Illinois.

“It’s going to be a strong line of thunderstorms that are going to pass through that could potentially have destructive winds with it and even maybe some embedded tornados,” King said.

In Rockford overnight Sunday, severe flooding caused a 76-year-old man to die when the car he was riding in was submerged into Keith Creek, according to a Winnebago County Coroner’s Office news release. The driver of the truck attempted to drive through rushing floodwater in a parking lot but the truck was swept into the creek, where it began to submerge, according to the release. The driver of the truck was able to escape through a window and she was eventually pulled to safety but the man became trapped inside the car.

Parts of McHenry County saw several inches of rain from Saturday night’s storms. Southwest Marengo saw the most rain with 5 inches reported in some areas, National Weather Service Meteorologist Lee Carlaw said, while most of the county received at least about 2 inches.

Lightning from thunderstorms over Saturday night are believed to have caused two fires. One damaged a home in Prairie Grove and another ruptured a natural gas line in Woodstock, officials report.

Another fire broke out at a commercial office building at 12:40 a.m. Sunday at 400 Fox Glen Court, Fox River Grove. The building, located in the Fox Glen professional offices off Route 22 east of Route 14, sustained significant roof and water damage.