CHICAGO (CBS) — After an extremely hot and humid afternoon, severe storms swept through the Chicago area Tuesday evening, leaving a trail of downed trees and power lines and stranding residents in the dark.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued through the late afternoon and evening. According to ComEd, a total of 44,935 customers in Northern Illinois were without power as of 9:12 p.m. as a result of the storms.

The storms increased in Crystal Lake, reaching 80 miles per hour in Glencoe. Trees and power lines were damaged in numerous northern and northwestern suburbs. In the city, damage was less severe, but the storm was no less dramatic.

Storms move with swirling clouds over Lake Michigan

At the lakeshore near Fullerton Drive, the storm came suddenly and dramatically Tuesday night. One minute dozens of people were swimming in the lake on a record-breaking hot day, the next people were running away from the strong winds and flying debris.

A time-lapse video showed a huge reef-like cloud covering the lake north of Fullerton Drive. The clouds quickly approached and began to swirl, and the CBS News Chicago team quickly sought shelter as rain began to fall.

The type of crazy rotating clouds seen over the lake is called a “gustnado.” It is not a tornado, but a whirlwind cloud that forms from a gust front.

As people tried to leave the lakeshore, some basked in the rain while others scurried away as their belongings were thrown around.

After the first round of heavy rain showers, Chicago police finally came by to make sure no one else was on the lakeshore.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is also warning of a seiche phenomenon in which water levels can drop rapidly and then quickly rise again.

Storms knock down trees in northern suburbs

In Evanston, trees fell near the Northwestern University campus due to the storms’ strong winds. At Judson Avenue and Church Street – south of campus, west of Sheridan Road and the lake, and east of downtown Evanston – a huge tree fell while a man sat in his car.

Cordell Green works in Evanston and was taking a lunch break in his car. He was uninjured.

“The next thing I knew, a tree fell in front of me, and a tree fell on my car,” Green said. “I was afraid that the root of the tree was going to land on my car and kill me instantly.”

But Green not only remained unharmed, his car didn’t even have a scratch. Out of gratitude, he kissed a cross in his car afterwards.

The spot where the giant tree fell is also where Mejr Lutolli said she parks almost every day on her way to work.

“When I got up and looked, I said, ‘Oh my God, I think that’s my car.’ I had completely forgotten where I parked. And then I laughed, ‘Oh, good!'” Lutolli said. “You know, this is unbelievable. I think I just got lucky.”

An ambulance and a fire truck from Evanston attempted to drive down Judson Avenue with their lights and sirens on, but were forced to back out due to the tree blocking the road.

On Sheridan Road, one driver was less fortunate, as a falling tree damaged the roof of his car. Fallen trees were also seen along Orrington Avenue, as documented in photos taken by National Weather Service employee Courtney Carpenter.

In Glencoe, a few suburbs further north, cleanup efforts had only just begun in areas where fallen trees covered roads – and even brought traffic to a standstill.

In Wauconda, ominous clouds hung low. Strong winds snapped trees and hurled them against power lines, and the storm twisted and destroyed heavy lawn furniture.

“The wind blew through and hail came. We thought our windows were going to break,” said one Wauconda resident. “We saw everything twist into a big knot, then we saw the roof of the shed blow away and the tree leaning on it.”

Trees also fell in Vernon Hills – some almost missed the nearest house as they fell. Minor flooding was also reported.

Just before 6:30 p.m., a spectacular, ragged gust cloud marked the transition from rain to dust from Prospect Heights north toward Wheeling.

A flash of lightning was also seen illuminating the Old Glory from behind at Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling.

Strong winds associated with the storm in the northern and northwest suburbs disrupted inbound and outbound Metra service on the Union Pacific North and Northwest lines. Service eventually resumed after a delay of about 50 minutes.

Later, trains arriving and departing on the Union Pacific North Line were stopped near Braeside Station in Highland Park because a tree was lying on the tracks.

The White Sox’s game against the Texas Rangers was halted after just four pitches in the first inning because of the storms. They will play a doubleheader on Wednesday.

The worst of the storms had passed in the Chicago area by 10 p.m., but thunderstorms continued in the southwest suburbs, the Kankakee River Valley and northwest Indiana.

A severe weather warning remained in effect until 11 p.m. for LaSalle, Grundy, Kankakee, Will, Livingston, Ford and Iroquois counties in Illinois and Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton and Benton counties in Indiana.

The rain showers will continue throughout the night and into the early hours of Wednesday. Lows on Tuesday evening will be around 24 degrees.

Wednesday and Thursday will be less hot, with highs between 27 and 30 degrees. The coolest temperatures will be near the lake.

However, it will remain humid, with heat index values ​​around 30 degrees. There is also still a 30 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected on Friday as a front moves into the area. Highs will be 27 degrees Celsius, falling to 15 degrees Celsius on Friday evening.

Cooler temperatures and decreasing humidity are forecast for a great holiday weekend. Temperatures are expected to be around 70 degrees on Labor Day Monday through Tuesday next week.