An EF-0 tornado that ripped through Glen Ellyn on the evening of July 27 snapped century-old trees, knocked homes off the grid and left cleanup crews working well into the following week, according to the National Weather Service and local officials.

The tornado touched down near Stacy Court and Railroad Street in unincorporated North Glen Ellyn at approximately 10:25 p.m., tracked south-southeast for about 0.9 miles and lifted two minutes later northwest of Glenbard West High School, near Hawthorne Boulevard and Park Boulevard. The NWS event summary, published July 30, rated the twister EF-0 with peak winds of 75 mph and a maximum width of 225 feet. No injuries or deaths were reported.

Forest Avenue bore some of the worst damage. Several century-old oak and maple trees were destroyed, blocking the road entirely, according to The Lombardian. Large branches fell onto power lines and damaged homes and at least one vehicle along the tornado's path.

"I had to run back inside and make sure my kids were safe, but I had to push the door closed, which is really kind of scary," Glen Ellyn resident Jay Camp told CBS Chicago on July 28, describing the moment the winds hit his home.

Thousands lose power across DuPage County

The tornado was one of seven confirmed across the Chicago area from July 27 storms that knocked out power to more than 525,000 ComEd customers regionwide. In DuPage County alone, roughly 62,000 customers lost electricity.

Lombard was hit especially hard. ComEd reported 4,746 customers without power in the village from 111 separate outage incidents. Radar-indicated wind gusts reached 60 mph in Lombard and up to 70 mph in neighboring Villa Park and Elmhurst. The village also recorded 2.16 inches of rain after three straight weeks without measurable rainfall.

Lombard Public Works responded to localized flooding, downed tree limbs and storm-related debris throughout the community, working to clear roadways and address safety concerns.

In Glendale Heights, outages hit village hall, the Sports Hub, the Linda Jackson Center for Senior Citizens, the Glendale Heights Aquatics Club and the Glendale Lakes Golf Club, according to the Daily Herald.

Cleanup slowed by downed lines

Brett Borchardt, a senior meteorologist at the NWS office in Romeoville, told the Daily Herald on July 28 that DuPage County was hit hard by multiple rounds of severe storms. The system started near Carol Stream and moved southeast through Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, Woodridge and Darien.

In Glen Ellyn, cleanup crew member Joshua Messin told CBS Chicago on July 28 that crews were dealing with branches, limbs and entire trees on homes throughout the area. Some trees were so large they could not fit through wood chippers and had to be removed whole. Downed power lines further slowed the work.

Glen Ellyn held an emergency branch and brush pickup following the tornado. Residents had until 6 a.m. on Aug. 3 to place debris at the curb. The village noted crews cannot enter private property, so homeowners must handle fallen trees or large limbs on their own lots. It is unclear whether additional collection sweeps are planned.

Carol Stream village crews were also collecting storm debris from public rights of way in the days following the storm.

Power restoration

As of July 29, ComEd said nearly 85% of affected customers had been restored, with crews working around the clock. The utility expected remaining customers to have power back by Aug. 1.

To report a downed power line or outage, residents can call ComEd at 800-334-7661 or use the ComEd website or mobile app.