Batavia cleaning up after Sunday microburst storm knocks down trees, power lines

A powerful microburst storm Sunday afternoon in Batavia left hundreds without power and a good deal of damage in its wake.

The storm hit just before 3 p.m. Sunday, bringing two-and-a-half-inch hail and winds of over 80 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

On Monday morning, Batavia Public Works Director Andrea Podraza said her crews have been working to get power restored and roads cleared since the storm subsided Sunday.

Podraza said that damage was still being assessed. But she said the brunt of the destruction was in the southwest quadrant of the city (south of Main Street and west of the Fox River).

ComEd reported 1,800 residents were without power after the storm Sunday.

According to the energy provider’s interactive power outage map, about 35 customers were still without power as of 11 a.m. Monday. All power was expected to be restored by 2 p.m. Monday.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rafal Ogorek said Monday that the storm was a microburst — a sudden burst of violent winds created by a collapsing thunderstorm.

NWS issued a severe thunderstorm warning for DeKalb and Kane Counties at 2:32 p.m. Sunday. Within 20 minutes, the storm tore through Batavia. Ogorek said it was by far the most violent storm of the day.

Ogorek said Kane County saw hail ranging from the size of a quarter to a tennis ball, the largest of which fell on Batavia.

In addition, the NWS recorded gusts of 83 miles per hour in Batavia, which Ogorek said are rare in the Midwest and only happen a couple of times per year, on average.

Ogorek said NWS received reports of downed trees and snapped power lines across the city, which was consistent with the wind speeds recorded.

“When you get winds in excess of 80 miles per hour, typically it results in widespread damage,” Ogorek said.