Severe storm leaves mess behind in La Salle, Bureau counties

Winds toppled trees, sent items - including dumpsters - flying down streets and motorists were trapped near the Matthiessen State Park entrance by a fallen tree Monday afternoon after a severe storm swept through Northern Illinois.

There's widespread power and internet outages, and phone service is limited in some areas. City crews are continuing to saw through fallen trees in roadways while homeowners and business owners assess damage.

Ameren reported 1,689 customers without service as of 5 p.m. Tree damage and power outages have been reported throughout northern Illinois. As of 4:45 p.m., ComEd reported 117,813 customers were affected by power outages.

As of 4:30 p.m., the severe weather threat had exited the area, but not before causing significant property and tree damage throughout the region. While the severe threat had diminished, strong winds were expected through 7 p.m.

This story will be updated.