A large tree was uprooted on Chicago Avenue just north of Northwest Highway Sunday morning with gusts (63 mph) just shy of the force.
The main event for the Arlington Heights and Chicago area Sunday was high winds and severely cold wind chills. A gust speed of 63.3 mph (that’s about 10 mph less than a Category I Hurricane) was reported at 2:41 a.m. at Chicago O’Hare. Heavy snow fell north in central and northern Wisconsin and missed the Chicago area, except for flurries and a little dusting. A strong low pressure moved directly over Chicago at about 3:00 a.m. bringing high winds with gusts of 40 mph. Many people lost power as wind damaged trees and power lines. Some trees were uprooted. Train crossing gates were broken across the train tracks in Palatine at Hicks Road. A median was pulverized by an arching downed power line on Arlington Heights Road in Elk Grove Village.
Forty-foot pine tree snapped in half with gusts up to 63 mph (officially the second highest gust in December) from the south-southwest.
The maximum temperature for Sunday was 52