Chicagoans submitted a near-record number of fallen trees reports and requests to remove tree branches after severe storms and multiple tornadoes were reported Monday night.
The city was hit by what meteorologists call a derecho, a powerful storm system characterized by heavy winds.
A combined total of more than 7,100 reports of fallen trees and requests to remove tree branches were submitted to 311, the city’s non-emergency hotline, between midnight Monday and late-afternoon Tuesday, according to a WBEZ analysis.
That’s the highest number reported over two consecutive days since August of 2020, when another derecho descended upon the city with peak winds of 85 miles per hour.
The strongest gust recorded on Monday was 75 miles per hour near O’Hare Airport, said Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“When you have winds of that magnitude, especially when they're affecting trees that are fully leafed out like the ones here in the summertime, it can lead to widespread tree damage,” said Yack. “When those trees fall on homes or buildings or vehicles, you can have extra damage from that, as well.”
The Chicago Fire Department reported multiple fallen power lines and porches, and confirmed one injury. A woman in her mid-40s was hospitalized with a head injury after a tree fell on her car in the 1700 block of North Austin Avenue.
A Northwest Indiana woman died after a tree fell on her Cedar Lake home.
The Northwest Side of the city appeared to be hit hardest, according to a WBEZ analysis of which communities reported the highest number of complaints.
Residents in Belmont Cragin submitted a combined total of more than 800 fallen tree reports and tree debris removal requests. The areas with the next highest number of combined complaints were Dunning, with roughly 370; Portage Park, with about 310; Austin, with roughly 300; and Hermosa, with about 290.
The most complaints came in on Tuesday morning between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to WBEZ’s analysis.
City forestry crews have been actively working to address the tree and branch removal requests, according to the Department of Streets and Sanitation.
Amy Qin is a data reporter for WBEZ; follow her @amyqin12.
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