The city of Joliet has cleared debris from this week’s storms from the roadways, and the number of customers without power continues to shrink, with Merichka’s Restaurant possibly reopening on Sunday.

The line of storms that hit Joliet and the other areas of northern Illinois on Wednesday has been classified as a derecho. This long-lasting thunderstorm complex produces a “swath of particularly damaging thunderstorm winds,” according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts reached 70 mph in Plainfield and Homer Glen.

The impact of the derecho was still evident on Friday in the Cathedral Area of Joliet. City crews worked to clear fallen tree debris from Raynor Avenue.

Tornadoes struck parts of northern and central Illinois on Thursday, but none have been reported in Joliet.

After the storms hit on Wednesday, more than 19,000 Commonwealth Edison customers in Will County were still without power on Thursday afternoon.

On Friday afternoon, ComEd reported 3,831 customers in the county were still without power. The company reported 1,839 customers were without power in Joliet, 110 were without power in Lockport, 54 in New Lenox and 21 in Plainfield.

Merichka’s Restaurant in Crest Hill was still without power until Friday afternoon.

“We are hoping for a possible reopen on Sunday. We have a lot to deal with and need to make a lot of fresh items so we are hoping for the best,” according to the restaurant’s post on Facebook.

Joliet spokeswoman Sydney Thompson told Shaw Local on Friday that a few traffic signals are still out, but the city is “actively working to get them restored.”

The city had localized roadway flooding at locations where tree debris from the storm blocked sewer inlets, but those locations have been cleared, Thompson said.

Locations where trees blocked roads have been cleared, but cleanup from downed trees and limbs will continue through next week, Thompson said.

“We are still evaluating damage from the Wednesday and Thursday storms and are focused on providing assistance to our residents,” Thompson said.

Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said officers did not respond to any storm-related incidents.

Marisa Tomich, spokeswoman for New Lenox Fire Protection District, said she had not heard of any further storm damage or storm-related hazards in the village on Friday.

A Wellness Center to provide storm aid for residents in Joliet had ended Thursday afternoon, Thompson said.

The Ruby Street bridge had lost power on Thursday until about 5:30 p.m., according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“As a result of the recent storm that passed through the city of Joliet yesterday afternoon, there was a power outage in the area and at the Ruby Street bridge,” IDOT spokesperson Maria Castaneda said.

She said backup generators provided “limited power and reduced bridge functionality,” which resulted in much longer times throughout the day to open and close the bridge to accommodate vehicle and marine traffic.