Powerful storms swept through the south side and southwest suburbs Wednesday and Thursday night, with 80 mph winds causing widespread damage across several communities.
Bridgeview, Justice, Stickney and Burbank, as well as southwest side Chicago, were hit hard as residents awoke Friday morning to the sight of damaged buildings, power line poles snapped in half, toppled trees, and limb-littered streets.
Stickney condo roof blown off
The roof of a condo building in Stickney was blown off Wednesday night forcing 20 families into the street. One of the victims was Stickney village Trustee Lea Torres.
Torres said Friday she was waiting for an all-clear from structural engineers that it was safe to re-enter the building.
“All residents are safe and unharmed,” said Stickney Fire Chief Jeffrey Boyajian. “Tenants of the building are either with family or friends, or are staying in a hotel. “
Because of the heavy rainfall, there is now water damage to the lower part of the building, Boyajian said.
Bridgeview apartment building, school damaged
Strong straight-line winds tore apart the roof of an apartment building at 79th Street and Oketo Avenue in Bridgeview, displacing residents. Several other buildings on the block sustained damage.
The roof at Bridgeview Elementary School, 7800 Thomas Ave., is reportedly damaged.
In the Clearing community, residents reported a transformer fire and trees falling on houses.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new information is gathered and confirmed.
Winds swept through Justice on June 11, 2026, uprooting large trees and causing other damage. Credit: Justice resident's photo, published with permission 
Damage in Stickney after the Wednesday, June 10, 2026 storm. Credit: Stickney Fire Chief Jeffrey Boyajian 
Damage in Stickney after the Wednesday, June 10, 2026 storm. Credit: Stickney Fire Chief Jeffrey Boyajian 
Damage in Stickney after the Wednesday, June 10, 2026 storm. Credit: Stickney Fire Chief Jeffrey Boyajian 
Another scene of damage after the June 11, 2026 storm that swept through Bridgeview.
ComEd reports that more than 146,000 customers across the Chicago area were affected by power outages as of Friday morning.
“Based on storms of similar size, we expect about 80 percent of outages to be restored by Saturday, June 13, at 11 p.m.,” ComEd said in a statement. “We understand how stressful this is and how deeply this disruption affects your day to day life, especially for those who rely on electricity to power critical medical devices. Please know we do not take that responsibility lightly.”
The National Weather Service confirmed that several tornadoes occurred across parts of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana during the late afternoon and evening of Thursday, June 11, with the strongest corridor of the storm passing through Will and Kankakee counties.
The two confirmed tornado touchdowns were in Streator and Dwight.
Damage surveys will be conducted by the National Weather Service over the coming days to determine the number of tornadoes that occurred and the track and intensity of each tornado, the NWS reported.
