High-rises cleared out, trains stopped, flights scrubbed as strong head winds hit

Feb. 20--"L" trains were stopped, high-rises in the Loop were evacuated and power outages were reported throughout the area Friday as powerful winds propelled a warm front through the Chicago area.

Three buildings along Wacker Drive between Franklin and Jackson were evacuated midafternoon because debris was "flying out" from a building under construction and was blowing against the windows of the high-rises, fire officials said. Wacker was closed to traffic. As of 9 p.m. Friday, the buildings remained closed, officials said.

The debris -- plywood, two-by-fours and plastic sheeting -- came from a 54-story office building going up at 150 N. Riverside Plaza, according to Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.

As of Friday evening, Chicago Fire Chief Michael Fox said seven construction workers remained on one of the open floors of one of the buildings under construction at 150 N. Riverside Plaza from which a "measurable amount'' of two-by-fours and plywood blew off because of winds. As of 6:35 p.m., all workers were reported safe and on the ground with no injuries reported.

"There's just no sense in taking a chance,'' Fox said during a 5 p.m. press conference at Lake Street and Wacker Drive, outside one of three nearby buildings that were evacuated because of flying debris.

Debris also came from another building at 434 W. Lake St., said Office of Emergency Management and Communications spokesman Gary Schenkel.

No one was hurt but windows were broken at three nearby buildings.

The incident also caused the closure of Wacker Drive from Franklin to Randolph streets, and Lake and Randolph streets from Canal Street to Wacker, Schenkel said.

Additionally, Green Line service has been suspended from the Clark to Harlem stations and the inbound Pink Line is terminating at Racine.

A city worker was seriously hurt around 2:30 p.m. when a tree fell and hit his Streets & Sanitation vehicle at the intersection of Archer and Western avenues in the Brighton Park neighborhood.

"He was trapped and we had to get him out,'' said Langford. Paramedics rushed him to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was initially in serious condition.

At the press conference Schenkel said the Streets and Sanitation worker is doing better and his condition is not life-threatening.

On the CTA, the Green Line's Lake Street branch was shut down around 3 p.m. when a utility pole fell onto the tracks near the Central station on the West Side, according to agency spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski.

Power was shut down in both directions from the Conservatory to the Harlem stations and bus shuttles were put into place. "We are trying to get normal operations restored as quickly as possible,'' she said. It was not immediately clear what caused the pole to fall.

As of 9 p.m. Friday, the Green Line service had been restored between Harlem and Ashland, officials said. Free shuttle buses were running between the Ashland and Clark/Lake stations.

Earlier, power was shut down on the Purple Line between the Linden and Central stops around 12:30 p.m. because of a tree that was "leaning over'' in north suburban Wilmette at about 12:30 p.m., Hosinski said. A bus shuttle was put in place and normal operations resumed about 2 p.m.

On Metra, several minor, wind-related delays were reported on nearly all lines. The delays were partly caused by objects blowing onto the tracks and the wind causing gates not function properly, said Metra spokesman Michael Gillis.

The longest delay so far was on a Metra Electric train travelling from Millennium Station to University Park, which was delayed for an hour after a wind gust blew a salt box onto the tracks, Gillis said.

"There could be more delays, so people should check our website and watch the alerts," Gillis said. "Hopefully the wind will die down soon."

On the roads, drivers swerved around wind-blown debris. A stray plastic beach ball bounced down South Lake Shore Drive, which caused a quick back-up as cars slowed to avoid it.

In the 1800 block of West Walnut Street in West Town, a car was crushed when a building under construction collapsed. No injuries were reported.

Wind was also making travel hazardous on expressways, according to the state police.

"Wind is definitely affecting truck tractors and semi trailers and vehicles,'' said Illinois State Police Sgt. Patrick Manno. "It'll push the vehicle a little on those big wind gusts.''

A "runaway stroller'' was reported on I-57 near the split with I-80, he said. "Thankfully, there was no baby inside,'' Manno said.

In Algonquin, a Super Target store at 750 Randall Road was evacuated around 3 p.m. after insulation material blew off the roof, according to Algonquin Battalion Chief John Knebl.

There were initial fears that the roof had collapsed, but Knebl said large pieces of drywall and foam were picked up by the winds and blown to the ground. There were no injuries.

Knebl said other areas of Algonquin were having problems with downed electrical wires. And Friday was the day residents put out their garbage, which was strewn through the streets. "It looks like a war zone out here,'' he said.

At O'Hare International Airport, more than 150 flights were canceled and nearly 900 others were experiencing delay.

As of 9 p.m., about 33,000 customers were without out power across the Chicago area, according to ComEd spokesman Alejandro Bodipo-Memba. At the peak, 191,000 customers were affected, he said.

"We've been experiencing significant downed power lines and some reports of trees impacting lines as well," said Bodipo-Memba. "The city of Chicago was hit quite hard."

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications reported at least 194 traffic signals out in the city, some due to ComEd disruptions. The Chicago Department of Transportation has placed stop signs at intersections with power failures, according to spokeswoman Mellisa Stratton.

Stratton warned traffic lights around the United Center were out or flashing as of 9 p.m., specifically at Washington and Wood; Madison and Wood; Warren and Wood; Ogden and Jackson; Paulina and Jackson and Ashland and Jackson.

The following streets will be closed until 7:30 a.m. Saturday: Wacker from Franklin to Washington; Randolph at Canal; Lake from Canal to Franklin; Couch Place at Franklin to Wacker; Randolph and Wacker and Lower Level Wacker to upper level Randolph.

The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning until 6 p.m. Friday. Forecasters called for wind gusts of close to 60 mph, the result of a tightening pressure gradient across the Midwest and western Great Lakes. The strong winds will pull mild Pacific-origin air, dried out over the Rockies, into the Chicago area.

Temperatures rose into the lower 60s Friday afternoon, making the day the warmest of the year so far. It was the first time temperatures hit the 60-degree mark in February since 2009, when on Feb. 10 meteorologists recorded a 61-degree high, according to the National Weather Service.

The record high for Feb. 19 was 65 degrees in 1930, and Kevin Birk, a meteorologist with the weather service, said Friday's high was expected to be "pretty darn close to that." (A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the record for Feb. 19 was 62 degrees in 1981. That was the record instead for Feb. 18.)

Families that had flocked to the Lincoln Park Zoo to enjoy the warm temperatures cut their trips short as winds picked up. Sue Sleman, whose daughter spent Friday in labor at the hospital, decided to take her granddaughter, 2-year-old Mia, to the zoo to help her pass the time before her little sister's birth. Sleman's niece, Katie Mason, wrapped Mia in a blanket and carried her in her arms to shield her from the wind, which had caused Mia's small ponytail to stick straight up.

"The wind actually knocked me off my feet," Sleman said with a chuckle, as she described how a forceful gust caused her to fall onto her hands and knees while walking to the zoo. She guessed areas closer to the lake were particularly windy, as the weather in Roscoe Village, where she'd been earlier, was calmer.

The family agreed to head back to the hospital due to the heavy gusts, but the weather didn't bother Mia, who wanted to stay. She mouthed the word "pigs" repeatedly until Sleman and Mason obliged, and trudged against the wind toward the petting zoo, their hair blowing behind them.

Tribune reporter Geoff Ziezulewicz contributed.

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