Blustery winds took their toll on McHenry County roads Friday, with multiple closures reported in the area because of downed wires and poles and other wind-related issues.
A high wind warning by the National Weather Service was in place for most of Friday for the region, with gusts reaching up to 60 mph.
“Damaging winds may blow down tree limbs and power lines,” the NWS said in the warning. “Power outages are possible. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.”
Those damaging winds have affected McHenry with downed communication wires, McHenry police reported. Green Street from Charles J. Miller Parkway to Pebble Creek Street was closed for a stretch on Friday until downed lines could be removed, according to a McHenry police alert issued about 9 a.m. Friday.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert at 9:40 a.m. Friday, that Barreville Road from Charles J. Miller Parkway to Biscayne Road in McHenry was also closed to traffic.
In Harvard, downed wires shut down State Line Road and Alden Road, the sheriff’s office reported in an alert about 7 a.m. Friday.
The sheriff’s office also reported a fallen traffic light closed off the intersection of Route 120 and Greenwood Road at about 4 a.m. Friday in Woodstock. The Illinois Department of Transportation was called to the scene for maintenance on the light.
ComEd reported some power outages scattered around McHenry County. As of Friday morning, 50 outages were affecting almost 400 customers, according to ComEd.
And the high winds also caused additional difficulty for those with garbage collections on Friday. Many toppled bins spread garbage around neighborhoods and sent bins into the roads. The Algonquin Police Department asked people to help by pulling in their bins as soon as possible.
“It appears that nature knew it was Friday the 13th with this wind on garbage day,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. “... If you are stuck at work like us, hopefully those at home can do the neighborly thing and bring your bins to your garage or to the side of your house to prevent them from blowing away.”
Multiple fire departments across the county responded to “numerous calls” related to the high winds Friday morning, said Alex Vucha, who serves as a public information officer for multiple McHenry County fire departments.
Firefighters handled incidents involving downed power lines and tree limbs, particularly in the rural areas of Woodstock, Marengo and Harvard, Vucha said.
“Despite the volume of calls, no significant property damage has been reported and no injuries were reported,” he said.
Vucha said residents should always use caution around downed wires and assume power lines on the ground are energized.
Looking ahead, the NWS predicts a strong storm to roll in on Sunday with more possible damaging winds. But McHenry County may be spared from the worst of it, as the greatest severe weather threat is expected to impact near and east of Interstate 55.
Accumulating or blowing snow may be in the mix of those Sunday storms, according to the NWS.