Strong storms led to damage throughout the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area on Sunday afternoon. This was part of a line of severe thunderstorms that also brought strong winds to parts of Wisconsin and Indiana.
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Winds were clocked as high as 74 miles-per-hour (MPH) in northern Illinois, leading to at least 81,000 customers without power, as of mid-afternoon Sunday. Several 60-plus MPH gusts were recorded in the Chicago area on Sunday, including a 63 MPH gust at the Rockford, Illinois airport.
Those storms led to some impressive visuals, including a so-called gustnado - a downburst of strong winds that produces a brief swirling effect.
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The storms were part of what's known as a Mesoscale Convective System, or an MCS for short. This is a group of thunderstorms that moves together, often producing damaging winds and occasional tornadoes. These are fairly typical during the late spring and summer.
More storms are possible in the Chicago area over the next few days, but they shouldn't be quite as strong as Sunday's bout of severe weather.
For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Chris Bianchi