UPDATED 9:05 AM: Thousands Lose Power After Sunday Storm, Crews Restoring Service

Updated Thursday, 9:04 a.m.

According to ComEd, 777 customers in Wheaton are without power. In Winfield, seven customers are without power. In Milton Township, 283 customers do not have power.

Updated Tuesday, 8:50 a.m.

According to ComEd, 1,932 customers in Wheaton are without power. In Winfield, 534 customers are without power. In Milton Township, 629 customers do not have power.

Updated Tuesday, 5:15 p.m.

According to ComEd, 2,678 customers in Wheaton are without power. In Winfield, 1,049 customers are without power. In Milton Township, 2,207 customers do not have power.

Updated Tuesday, 3:00 p.m.

According to ComEd, 3,027 customers in Wheaton are without power. In Winfield, 1,049 customers are without power. In Milton Township, 2,305 customers do not have power.

Updated Tuesday, 1:37 p.m.

ComEd announced Tuesday that the .

According to ComEd, 3,217 customers in Wheaton are without power. In Winfield, 1,056 customers are without power. In Milton Township, 2,348 customers do not have power.

Updated Tuesday, 11:52 a.m.

According to ComEd, 3,359 customers in Wheaton are without power. In Winfield, 1,021 customers are without power. In Milton Township, 2,468 customers do not have power. The is now open.

The City of Wheaton updated its list of cooling centers available in the heat Tuesday morning.

Updated Monday, 10:30 p.m.

According to ComEd, 4,710 customers in Wheaton are without power. ComEd has added estimated restoration times to its outage map.

Restoration times for some of the most highly affected areas include:

Check your outage status on ComEd's outage map.

Updated Monday, 8:50 p.m.

According to ComEd, 5,590 customers in Wheaton are without power. In Winfield, 2,137 customers have outages. In Milton Township, 2,674 customers have outages. City of Wheaton spokeswoman Susan Bishel said no serious injuries have been reported as a result of the storm, and that the Wheaton Fire Department has received about 100 calls from residents with storm-related issues.  

As a result of downed power lines and trees after the storm, all of the , the Wheaton Park District and city officials announced Monday afternoon.

Wheaton City Manager Don Rose said Monday night there is no estimated time for restored power.

Updated Monday, 5:10 p.m.

According to ComEd, 5,961 customers in Wheaton are without power. In Winfield, 2,185 customers are without power and in Milton Township, 2,747 customers are without power.

Updated Monday, 4:25 p.m.

According to ComEd, 6,563 customers in Wheaton still have no power. In Winfield, 2,502 customers remain without power and in Milton Township, 2,714 customers remain without power.

Updated Monday, 3:36 p.m.

According to ComEd's outage map, 6,919 customers have no power in Wheaton. In Winfield, 2,502 customers have outages and in Milton Township, 3,079 customers have outages.

Updated Monday, 2:12 p.m.

According to ComEd's, outage map, the number of customers without power in Wheaton is down to 7,502.

In Milton Township, 3,031 customers have no power and in Winfield, 2,463 customers have no power as of 2:12 p.m.

Updated Monday, 1:47 p.m.

According to ComEd's outage map, around 7,864 customers remain without power in Wheaton after a violent thunderstorm hit the area Sunday afternoon.

Complete restoration of power in Wheaton could take "several days," according to a press release from ComEd. A ComEd rep said estimates for repairs in Wheaton are not yet available.

ComEd tweeted around 1:15 that approximately 388 crews are working in the area, with assistance from Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin. Approximately 93,000 customers are without power after Sunday's storm, down from 250,000 reported yesterday.

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The city's Public Works Department is and will be collecting branches and limbs from damaged parkway trees.

• At this time, residents should not bring tree debris from private property to the curb for collection

Traffic is limited due to downed power lines on:

• North Main Street
• Manchester Road and
• Harrison Avenue

Updated Monday, 11:57 a.m.

According to ComEd's outage map, around 7,435 customers remain without power in Wheaton.

Updated Monday, 9:48 a.m.

According to ComEd's outage map, around 3,500 customers remain without power in Wheaton. Customers can report an outage and sign up to receive outage alerts and updates on repairs on your phone.

Some downtown Wheaton businesses are closed today, including the and the .

Other closures include:

• The
• Clocktower Commons (mini golf course)

The Wheaton Park District is a desginated cooling place.

Updated 9:59 p.m.

The following information is from a press release from ComEd:

Restored power after today's storms could take several days, according to a press release from ComEd.

More than 360 ComEd crews are working to restore power after a severe storm tore through the Chicago area, causing power outages for more than 250,000 customers. As of 8:00 p.m., power has been restored to more 96,000 customers, according to ComEd.

The storm struck suddenly and violently. According to the National Weather Service, the western suburbs experienced wind gusts of 60 to 90 mph, heavy rain and pounding hail. In Addison, more than an inch of rain fell in 25 minutes. There were a total of 3,400 lightning strokes recorded, primarily in the west and south.

The hardest-hit areas are in ComEd’s northern region, where the utility is working with municipal officials and local businesses to provide regular updates. Some of the communities hardest hit were Lombard, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Carol Stream, Addison, West Chicago, Villa Park, Roselle, Glendale Heights, Elgin and Glen Ellyn. As a result, ComEd is deploying its new Mobile Operations Center (MOC) to help speed the restoration effort.  

The unit, which can house 25 ComEd engineers, dispatchers and other key storm response team members, comes fully equipped with the latest communications, satellite and video conferencing technology. The MOC brings ComEd closer to its customers in times of severe weather and damage to the system. This will optimize restoration efforts, allowing ComEd to understand and respond to customer needs faster.
 
ComEd staff also has been deployed to the Joint Operations Center established by DuPage County.

Due to the violent nature of this storm and extensive damage, ComEd is expecting restoration efforts to take several days. Most damaging to the ComEd system was lightning and high winds, which uprooted trees, downed power lines and damaged electrical equipment. The outages are difficult and time-consuming to restore because crews will need to remove limbs and entire trees that snarled wires and snapped poles.
 
ComEd’s restoration process begins immediately with damage assessment, to determin the hardest-hit areas. The company then prioritizes outage restoration to ensure public safety first such as police and fire, then hospitals and other critical customers such as pumping stations. Next, ComEd restores feeders, which allows us to return power to the largest numbers of customers at one time, followed by smaller service restorations and individual outages.
 
To assist with the restoration effort ComEd has requested assistance from neighboring utilities in Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri as well as other states to supplement the 360 ComEd crews already in the field.
 
Public safety is paramount during storms and ComEd encourages the public to remember to take the following precautions:

• If you encounter a downed power line, immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661) or access our website at ComEd.com and report the location. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237). Customers also can visit Twitter for restoration updates.
• Never approach a downed power line. Always assume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous.
• Check on elderly and other sensitive family members and neighbors to ensure their safety and make alternate arrangements, as it may be some time before their power is restored.

ComEd also offers the following suggestions for customers experiencing a prolonged outage:

• Turn off all appliances including your furnace, water heater, and water pump.
• Leave a lamp on so you can know when power has been restored.
• Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed and open them only when necessary. Food will stay frozen for 36 to 48 hours in a fully loaded freezer, if the door remains closed. A half-full freezer will generally keep food frozen for 24 hours.
• Customers who are on medical support equipment are strongly encouraged to evacuate to a place where they can be comfortable and safe.

Updated 9:33 p.m.

More than 9,000 ComEd customers are without power in Wheaton after today's afternoon storms, down from more than 18,000 customers reported late this afternoon.

Original report:

More than 18,000 ComEd customers are without power in Wheaton after a severe thunderstorm hit the area Sunday afternoon.

The storm hit Wheaton around noon Sunday. According to ComEd's outage map, crews are assessing damage and it is unclear how long customers will be without power.

Numerous power lines and trees are down. Main Street near Franklin is closed.

Patch will provide updates as they are available.

If you have photos of the damages from the storm, upload them here by clicking "Upload Photos and Videos."

Other storm-related news on Patch:

• UPDATED: Cooling Centers Available in Wheaton
• Most DuPage County Government Offices to Re-open Tuesday