ComEd has restored power to more than 80 percent of customers impacted by the severe storms that moved through northern Illinois on August 11 and August 12, bringing destructive winds approaching 100 mph, heavy rainfall, frequent lightning and multiple confirmed tornadoes across portions of the company’s service territory.

The storms caused widespread damage, downing trees, damaging homes and businesses, breaking utility poles, and disrupting service to nearly 410,000 customers. Wednesday morning’s storms added more than 35,000 outages and temporarily delayed restoration work already underway in ComEd’s south region. As of Thursday morning, ComEd has restored service to approximately 328,000 customers.

“First and foremost, we want to thank our customers for their patience as our crews continue working around the clock to restore service,” said David Perez, ComEd’s executive vice president and COO. “The damage caused by this week’s storms was significant, particularly in our south region, where many communities have been hit repeatedly by severe weather this summer. Despite another round of storms Wednesday morning, we have made substantial progress. The restoration work continues, and we will not rest until every customer has their power back.”

The largest impacts from Tuesday’s storms were concentrated in communities such as Homewood, Flossmoor, Lansing, Chicago Heights, Mokena, Tinley Park, and Joliet. Across these communities, severe winds and tornado activity uprooted mature trees, blocked roadways, damaged homes and businesses, snapped utility poles and brought down power lines, requiring complex and time-intensive repairs.

Nearly 4,500 ComEd personnel, crews and contractors remain engaged in restoration efforts, supported by operating basecamps established at Daley College, Joliet Junior College and Prairie State College. ComEd’s sister utilities on the East Coast are also providing mutual assistance, including more than 150 overhead lineworkers and control room operators supporting restoration efforts across northern Illinois.

These storms are the latest in what has been an exceptionally active severe weather season across northern Illinois. Preliminary National Weather Service surveys have confirmed at least eight tornadoes associated with Sunday through Tuesday’s storms in portions of ComEd’s service territory.

The August 9-12 storms mark the 20th major weather event affecting ComEd customers in 2026, the highest number in more than two decades. The five tornadoes from Tuesday’s storm bring the number of confirmed tornadoes impacting communities within ComEd’s service territory this year to at least 52, with additional National Weather Service damage assessments underway.

Safety Reminders

Public safety is paramount, and ComEd encourages customers to take the following precautions:

  • If a downed power line is spotted, immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661). Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).

  • Never approach a downed power line. Always assume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous.

  • In the event of an outage, do not approach ComEd crews working to restore power to ask about restoration times. Crews may be working on live electrical equipment, and the perimeter of the work zone may be hazardous.

  • For the latest outage and restoration information, visit our outage map: ComEd.com/map.

ComEd urges customers to contact the company immediately if they experience a power outage. Customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED) to report an outage and receive restoration information and follow the company on X @ComEd or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ComEd. Customers can also call 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661), or report outages via the website at ComEd.com/report. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).

With ComEd’s new Outage Tracker, customers can report outages, check estimated time of restoration, view crew status updates, and explore our outage map. Visit ComEd.com/OutageTracker.

ComEd’s mobile app for iPhone and Android® smart phones gives customers the ability to report power outages and manage their accounts; download the app at ComEd.com/app.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 company and one of the nation’s largest utility companies, serving nearly 11 million electricity and natural gas customers. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information, visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.

 

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