More than 27,000 left without power after ice storm hits McHenry County

Winter weather Wednesday led to road closures, school cancellations and power outages throughout McHenry County.

McHenry County was under an ice storm warning through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. The warning has since expired.

The weather has brought with it gusting wind and less than an inch of snow, which meteorologist Jake Petr said can cause problems when coated across trees and power lines.

“It’s pretty much in alignment with what our thoughts were,” Petr said.

Tree branches and power lines saw more ice accumulate Wednesday evening, Petr said. This in some towns led to broken tree limbs and power outages.

As of 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, 27,797 ComEd customers in McHenry County, more than 20%, were experiencing an outage, according to the company’s outage map. It was the most of any county at the time. More than 84,000 ComEd customers were without power in northern Illinois as of Wednesday morning.

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A semitruck travel east on Route 173 as ice hangs on a McHenry County sign Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, as a winter storm that produced rain, sleet, freezing rain, and ice moved through McHenry County. (Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver for Shaw Media )

In Lake in the Hills, an alert issued Wednesday afternoon warned of several roadways closed down because of broken branches, as well as power outages.

A power line also was down in Crystal Lake near Woodstock Street and Walkup Road, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the weather had something to do with it.

Overall, there weren’t many major roads affected by the weather, as the temperature was right around freezing and many were treated, Petr said. Some less trafficked roads, however, could have seen more ice as they weren’t treated.

The weather also prompted a few school districts to cancel classes Wednesday, including Woodstock School District 200, Harrison School District 36, Harvard School District 50, Johnsburg School District 12, Nippersink School District 2 and Richmond-Burton Community High School District 157.

McHenry County College closed early and will reopen Thursday.

Other districts, including Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155, Cary School District 26, McHenry High School 156, McHenry School District 15, Prairie Grove School District 46 and Huntley School District 158 canceled after-school activities Wednesday. Almost all activities for Community School District 300, based in Algonquin, were canceled as well.

Throughout Thursday, some lingering light showers and a mix of snowflakes in the far north could come, but the bulk is expected to pass over throughout the night, Petr said.