Nasty weather blasts Midwest but not Texas, Louisiana

Galveston, Texas, breathed a sigh of relief when Tropical Storm Edouard caused little damage Tuesday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Crews began cleaning up downed trees and restoring power across northern Illinois on Tuesday after a line of powerful storms ripped through the area, spawning at least two tornadoes, but Texas and Louisiana were spared from a hurricane.

The National Weather Service confirmed that tornadoes touched down in the Chicago suburbs of Bloomingdale and Bolingbrook late Monday. A third tornado touched down in Griffith, Ind.

A tornado and other high winds damaged 25 homes, including two left uninhabitable when winds ripped off parts of roofs, said Bolingbrook Assistant Fire Chief Robert Mierop. No one was injured.

Strong winds also damaged buildings and flooded streets across the northern part of the state late Monday, and lightning is being blamed for several fires.

Another line of thunderstorms left tens of thousands without power early Tuesday in north-central Illinois. Widespread tree and power line damage was reported in northeastern Illinois.

ComEd spokeswoman Pam Anton said 225,000 of the utility’s customers were without power early Tuesday. Because of the number of downed lines, it will be several days before power is completely restored, she said.

Parts of central and southern Illinois were under severe thunderstorm warnings Tuesday, and the weather service predicted more strong winds and the possibility of hail. Weather damage — including standing water, downed tree limbs and blinking traffic lights — snarled rush-hour traffic in the Chicago area.

More than 100 flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday morning, according to aviation department spokesman Gregg Cunningham. He said airlines are catching up after last night’s storms and delays are minor. A few flights are delayed about an hour at Midway.

Monday’s storm prompted tornado warnings in downtown Chicago. Fans were evacuated from the stands at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and travelers from the upper levels of terminals at O’Hare International Airport.

Storms were being blamed for one death Monday. In northwestern Indiana, a tree fell on a car and killed the 23-year-old driver, LaPorte County Deputy Coroner John Sullivan said.

By Tuesday afternoon, showers and thunderstorms were scattered from central Illinois into West Virginia.

In Galveston, Texas, surfers and joggers hit the beach Tuesday after Tropical Storm Edouard brushed past and caused little damage, while inland farmers hoped the storm’s remnants would help ease drought conditions.

“Galveston is open for business, and we certainly welcome the tourists back to the island,” said City Manager Steve LeBlanc, whose island city of about 60,000 typically doubles in population during the peak tourist months.

Forecasters had feared Edouard could become a hurricane, and both Texas and Louisiana prepared for an emergency.

But when it made landfall east of Galveston and west of the Louisiana border, between the small coastal town of High Island and Sabine Pass, winds gusted as high as 65 mph, 9 mph below hurricane strength. The storm then weakened to a tropical depression as it moved toward Houston on Tuesday afternoon.

“Texas is grateful that this storm did not escalate to hurricane strength before making landfall on our shores,” said Gov. Rick Perry.

Inland Texas and western Louisiana prepared for several inches of rain that could help ease drought conditions.

Ranchers and farmers in central and southeastern Texas along Interstate 10 would welcome the relief, said John Nielsen-Gammon, the state’s climatologist at Texas A M University.

Parts of those areas remain in exceptional drought, according to last week’s U.S. Drought Monitor map. Some ranchers are finding it difficult to feed their livestock.

The rain “will help in the short term at least,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “You’ll see some green-up. Ideally, if you get enough rain you can sustain a good bit of growth and maybe get some hay out of it.”

Jim McAdams, a fourth-generation rancher and past president of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, wasn’t at home Tuesday to see if rain from Edouard was falling on his ranch just southeast of San Antonio.

He got an inch or so from Hurricane Dolly a couple of weeks ago, which greened up his pastures pretty well, he said. It’s been a tough year, he said.

“Overall it’s just one of those years everybody’s just hanging on living from one rain to the next,” he said.

Galveston and surrounding areas certainly were grateful they dodged the fate of another Texas tourist hotspot, South Padre Island, hit by the 100-mph winds of Dolly last month.

Earlier forecasts had the center of the storm passing over Galveston, but the only noticeable damage after the storm was to a tree on the city’s golf course.

A few hours later, surfers were hitting the waves and beaches were filled with joggers and people walking their dogs as they would on any other summer day during tourist season.

Houston homebuilder Rodney Graham, who like a lot of vacationers stayed through the storm with his family, watched his 10-year-old daughter Haley ride a wave on her surfboard.

“A tropical storm that has 45-mile-per-hour winds is just a rainstorm.”