Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Concentrated gusts of at least 60 MPH swept through Park Forest Monday afternoon toppling trees and spraying branches, some very large, throughout the Village. Two-thirds of a thick maple tree on Ash Street split at the trunk, one hefty series of branches falling on the roof of a co-op in the first court, the second section collapsing into the courtyard turning a tall lamp post into a twisted pile of metal, the light still lit.
The portion of the tree that fell onto the co-op roof did not appear to go through the roof itself, but it tore into gutters and left a noticeable dent under its crushing weight.
Police told eNews Park Forest there were no reported injuries from the storm, either from residents or among first responders.
Public Works crews and members of the Park Forest Fire Department were out in force working to remove branches and trees brought down by the storm. Police helped to direct traffic around the areas where the storm had tossed trees and branches into the streets.
ComEd reported multiple outages across the Chicagoland area, four in Park Forest affecting 2,128 customers, the largest grouping of 1,642 in the area around 26th Street and Birch.
The high wind warning from the National Weather Service remained in effect through 8 PM Monday.
The blast was the result of a line of severe thunderstorms hurtling towards the east at 65 MPH. The National Weather Service said there was only a limited risk of thunderstorms for the rest of the week, Tuesday through Sunday.
Rain is expected to continue Monday night mainly before 8 PM.
Tuesday? Look for mostly sunny skies with a high near 82 and a gentle, 5 MPH north wind. Tuesday night looks to be calm with a low of 62.
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Park Forest Police posted photos from the aftermath of the storm as well:
[new_royalslider id=”37″]Police added, “Please check on your senior citizen neighbors and any neighbors with special needs. Call if you need police assistance.”
The non-emergency number for assistance in Park Forest is 708-748-4700, or 911, of course, for emergencies.