Ice from Freezing Rain Grips Power Lines, Trees in Northern Illinois; Over 100K ComEd Customers Affected

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A large falling tree in a backyard destroyed a detached garage on Mueller Street near Walnut Avenue in Arlington Heights during an ice storm Wednesday, February 22, 2023
A large falling tree in a backyard destroyed a detached garage on Mueller Street near Walnut Avenue in Arlington Heights during an ice storm Wednesday, February 22, 2023.

WGN’s Dana Rebik reports from Arlington Heights about damage in Arlington Heights and other communities in northeast Illinois after freezing rain damaged power lines and brought down trees and tree branches (Dana Rebik/WGN News). YouTube Tips ⓘ

An ice storm caused accumulation of ice on power lines and tree branches which caused significant damage in northern Illinois, especially in Boone County, Winnebago County, Lake County, McHenry County and northern Cook County.




Wednesday evening, February 22, 2023 there were over 100,000 ComEd customers without power, but by Wednesday morning at 6:36 a.m. the total customers affected were reduced to 88,612 with 2,387 active outages.

“We appreciate your patience as crews work to restore outages. Based on the history of similar storms of this size, we expect 80% of outages in your region to be restored by Thursday evening (2/23/23) and the majority of our remaining outages restored by Saturday evening (2/25/23). The best way to stay updated on your outage is to sign up for outage alerts at ComEd.com/Alerts.”

— ComEd Storm Alert 6:30 AM Thu. Feb 23 2023




Police, firefighters and public works crews in the northwest suburbs of Chicago responded beginning about 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, 2023 to a report of downed power lines, arcing power lines and blown transformers. Fire radio scanner reports assembled below displays a partial list of issues reported during the peak activity of storm damage incidents …

3:03 PM — Power line sparking near Napoli Pizza, 303 south Rohlwing Road.

3:28 PM — Power failure people trapped in an elevator, 5235 Prairie Stone Parkway Hoffman Estates.

3:38 PM — Power line arcing with lines hanging down from icing, Arlington Heights and Olive Street Arlington Heights.

3:41 PM — Transformer fire with flames showing, block of 700 Bayer Drive Palatine.

3:44 PM — Tree or branch down on power lines with fire near the golf course at Hillside and Haven Palatine.

3:45 PM — Wires down with flames and smoke visible at Emerson Avenue and Smith Street Rolling Meadows.

3:50 PM — Tree branch on power line causing arcing, 300 block Kingsbury Drive Arlington Heights.

3:51 PM — Wires down near Wilke Road and Lancelot Lane Palatine.

3:55 PM — Large tree down in backyard may have hit electric boxes in the backyard in the block of 1100 Old Barn Road Buffalo Grove.

3:55 PM — Power line down east of St Peter Lutheran Church, 111 West Olive Street Arlington Heights.

3:56 PM — Transformer issues at Dunton Avenue and Olive Street Arlington Heights.

3:56 PM — Tree on wires near Algonquin Road and Springwood Lane Barrington.

3:59 PM — Transformer issue with fire in the block of 100 Foxwood Lane near Wedgewood Barrington.

3:59 PM — Tree branches on power line block of 500 Wise Road Schaumburg.

3:59 PM — Tree on power line behind Buffalo Creek Condos apartment complex with fire and smoke showing in the block of 100 South Buffalo Grove in Buffalo Grove.




4:00 p.m. — Elevator rescue due to power failure at Willow Crossing Apartments, 1045 Nerge Road Elk Grove Village.

4:05 PM — Power line on fire on Donald Avenue near Miner Street Arlington Heights.

4:06 PM — Branch fell on wires and caused a power failure in the block of 100 Timber Trail in Streamwood.

4:07 PM — Line down on Kelsey Road near Northwest Highway in Barrington.

4:14 PM — Large branch fell on a garage and a power line — no fire — in the block of 400 Patton Avenue Arlington Heights.

4:17 PM — Tree branch on power line in backyard in the block of 200 Hackberry Drive Streamwood.

4:18 PM — Report that lightning hit a power pole in the block of 300 Mark Lane Streamwood.

4:18 PM — Tree branch fell on a power line, which is now hanging low over Chestnut Avenue near Ivy Lane Arlington Heights.

4:21 PM — Transformer exploded in the block of 100 East Lake Cook Road Buffalo Grove (near Rand Road) Palatine.

4:21 PM — Arcing and sparking on a pole in the backyard in the block of 1000 Golfhurst Avenue Mount Prospect.

4:23 PM — Tree limb on power lines constantly arcing in the block of 0-99 East Berkley Drive Arlington Heights.

4:24 PM — Service drop line from between houses is on fire in the block of 0-99 Washington Boulevard Hoffman Estates

4:24 PM — Power line down in the backyard in the block of 100 Ash Street Palatine.

4:25 PM — Power line arcing in the backyard in the block of 1000 Greenfield Lane Mount Prospect.

4:27 PM — Power line arcing at School Drive and St James Street Rolling Meadows.

4:28 PM — Power line arcing and smoking in backyard in block of 2900 Roslyn Lane Buffalo Grove.

4:28 PM — Tree down on power lines with smoke and flames showing in the block of 400 East Sunset Drive Arlington Heights.

4:29 PM — Tree branches on power lines in the backyard with arcing in the block of 100 Greenwood Avenue Palatine.

4:29 PM — Tree on fire in the backyard in the block of 900 Greenwood Drive Mount Prospect.

4:30 PM — One half of a tree is down in the eastbound lanes of Northwest Highway near Eastern Avenue Barrington.

4:30 PM — Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital on backup generator.

4:31 PM — Elevator rescue at Mainstay Suites at 2875 Greenspoint Parkway Hoffman Estates.

4:32 PM — Power line down in the backyard in the 600 block of Perry Lane Hoffman Estates.

4:33 PM — Tree branches on power line in the block of 0-99 Greenwood Avenue Palatine.

4:35 PM — Tree on service drop line from pole to house with lights flickering in the block of 300 Cedar Street Palatine.

4:37 PM — Tree branch on power line in the backyard in the block of 600 Jamison Lane Hoffman Estates.

4:43 PM — Two explosions heard, then lost power; power line arcing in the block of 1800 Taft Lane Rolling Meadows.

4:45 PM — Tree down across Ashland Street near Thacker Street Hoffman Estates.

4:50 PM — Transformer on fire in Westgate Park, 211 North Reuter Drive Arlington Heights.

4:52 PM — Tree on wire hanging low and blocking intersection at Cook Street and Russell Street Barrington.

4:53 PM — Tree down on a power line in the backyard in the block of 700 Krause Avenue Streamwood.

4:54 AM — Power line and branch on fire after branch dropped on power lines on Helen Road between Plum Grove Road and Hale Street Palatine.

4:58 PM — Branch fell on power line and caused power line to fall down in the backyard on Hawthorn Lane near Hillside Drive Streamwood.




5:01 PM — Tree branch fell on a power line in the backyard in the block of 700 North Stephen Drive Palatine.

5:02 PM — Four or five large tree branches down with some arcing at Melas Park, 1500 West Central Road Mount Prospect.

5:02 PM — Service drop line from utility pole to house down in the backyard in the block of 800 Hough Street.

5:02 PM — Branches on power lines are hanging low in the block of 2100 North Kennicott Drive Arlington Heights.

5:03 PM — Large sump pump battery leaking in the basement with water nearby and smoke visible in the block of 0-99 Revere Drive in South Barrington.

5:03 PM — Tree on fire in the backyard in the block of 200 Hackberry Drive Streamwood.

5:08 PM — Tree branch on power line that smoking and arcing in the block of 200 South George Street Mount Prospect.

5:10 PM — Tree branch down on power line in the backyard, and another tree branch block the street in the front yard in the block of 0-99 Crestview Terrace Buffalo Grove.

5:12 PM — Tree branch hit a power line and flames and arcing visible in the backyard in the block of 100 East Berkley Drive near Hintz Road Arlington Heights.

5:15 PM — Tree fell on roof in front of house in the block of 100 South Wilke Road Arlington Heights.

5:15 PM — Power line down in the backyard with branches burning in the block of 900 Greenwood Drive Mount Prospect.

Large falling tree destroys detached garage on Mueller Street in Arlington Heights.
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5:16 PM — Large tree snapped at the trunk and tree fell on a detached garage, destroying the garage and damaging an SUV inside in the block of 400 West Mueller Street Arlington Heights.

5:16 PM — Falling tree hit air conditioner causing wires to be exposed in the block of 1100 Arbor Lane Palatine.

5:17 PM — Tree branches down on power lines with flames visible in the block of 1800 Iris Drive Palatine.

5:19 PM — Elevator rescue in Dunton Tower Apartments after power failure stalled elevator, 55 South Vail Avenue Arlington Heights.

5:20 PM — Large tree branch down on power line and branch down on house in the block of 700 Alcoa Lane Hoffman Estates.

5:21 PM — Elevator rescue in Baybrook Condos after power failure stalled elevator, 111 South Baybrook Drive Palatine.

5:23 PM — Odor investigation; smell of burning near the elevator shaft at Banner Plumbing, 1020 East Lake Cook Road Buffalo Grove.

5:24 PM — Tree down on a power line in the backyard in the block of 1200 North Wilke Road Arlington Heights.

5:25 PM — Power line down in the backyard in the block of 100 South Park Boulevard Streamwood.

5:27 PM — Tree down on power line ni the block of 300 Cedar Circle Court Streamwood.

5:27 PM — Tree branch down on power lines in backyard in the block of 1700 Glen Lake Road Hoffman Estates.

5:28 PM — Tree branches down on power lines in the block of 700 Prospect Avenue Barrington.

5:29 PM — Tree branches down on power lines in the block of 2000 North Yale Avenue Arlington Heights.

5:29 PM — Tree branches down on power lines in the block of 200 Hatlen Avenue Mount Prospect.

5:29 PM — Burning odor in the basement after a power line fell near a house in the block of 200 Sturtz Street Barrington.

5:31 PM — Tree branch down on a power line in the block of 0-99 South Wille Street Mount Prospect.

5:33 PM — Power line down in the backyard with white smoke rising near the back of the garage in the block of 700 Division street Barrington.

5:34 PM — Power line down on tree with flames visible in the block of 2800 St James Street Rolling Meadows.

5:35 PM — Large tree branch fell on a service drop power line from a utility pole to a house in the block of 500 Briarcliff Lane Hoffman Estates.

5:37 PM — Tree branch on power line in backyard with some sparks visible in the block of 0-99 Elm Street near Palatine Road Palatine.

5:37 PM — Tree branch on power line with power failure in the block of 0-99 Woodridge Lane Streamwood.

5:38 PM — Report of a house fire but was possibly arcing and flames visible from a downed power line in the block of 2900 Woodbury Drive near Charter Point Drive Arlington Heights.

5:43 PM — Large tree branch fell on a power line in the block 300 West Wilson Street Palatine.

5:43 PM — Tree down on a service drop power line in the backyard in the block of 900 South Summit Street Barrington.

5:44 PM — Power line down in the backyard in the block of 300 South Yale Avenue Arlington Heights.

Tree down across Buffalo Grove Road south of Dundee Rd., Buffalo Grove YouTube Tips ⓘ

5:47 PM — Tree down on power line with tree across all lanes of Buffalo Grove Road Buffalo Grove.

5:47 PM — Power lines down with flames showing in the block of 600 Signal Hill Road North Barrington.

5:49 PM — Tree branches down on power line in the backyard in the block of 1300 Dennison Road Hoffman Estates.

5:51 PM — Tree branch down on power lines with arcing in the block of 0-99 Oltendorf Road Streamwood.

5:51 PM — Fire in a house in the block of 1600 Sherman Boulevard Crystal Lake.

5:53 PM — Power line in trees with flames showing in the block of 700 Regis Court Palatine.

5:53 PM — Smoke and embers visible in trees near Cuba Road and Route 59 Barrington.

5:55 PM — Tree down on power lines and fence in the block of 400 South Stuart Lane Palatine.

5:55 PM — Tree branch down on power line in the backyard in the block of 400 Walnut Drive Streamwood.

5:56 PM — Tree branch fell through roof over living room in the block of 0-99 Harrison Avenue in Palatine.

5:56 PM — Power line fire in trees in the backyard in the block of 400 South Warren Avenue Palatine.

5:56 PM — Tree branch brought down power line in the block of 400 North Kennicott Avenue Arlington Heights.

5:58 PM — Transformer explosion with arcing showing in the block of 00-99 North Waterman Avenue Arlington Heights.

5:58 PM — Power line down across yard on Elm Street and across Glencoe Road Palatine.

5:58 PM — Tree branch down on power line in the backyard in the block of 400 Walnut Drive Streamwood.

5:58 PM — Power line arcing near Penny Road and Stoneridge Drive South Barrington.

Activity of new calls began to diminish about 6:10 p.m., but emergency calls similar to these calls continued overnight and into Thursday.




Firefighters requested ComEd to many scenes in the northwest suburbs.

A widespread number of power outages were reported to ComEd.




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Ice coating on branches and berries on a parkway tree about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Ice coating on branches and berries on a parkway tree about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
Ice coating on branches and berries on a parkway tree about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Ice coating on branches and berries on a parkway tree about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
Ice coating on power lines over a parkway about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Ice coating on power lines over a parkway about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, 2023.





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