Trees, wires down after storms zip across McHenry County

A tree fell on a house in Harvard during severe weather that made its way through McHenry County early Tuesday afternoon, said Alex Vucha, the Harvard Fire Protection District spokesperson.

Vucha said the department was called out to the 600 block of Dewey Street at 1:33 p.m. Tuesday for the tree. People were home but no injuries were reported.

The tree also brought down power lines, but firefighters didn’t find any “additional life safety hazards and cleared the scene a short time later,” Vucha said.

Two minutes earlier, the Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts was called out to the 22500 block of Harmony Road near Marengo for a downed power line that caught fire and prompted a road closure for more than 90 minutes, said Vucha, who also is the spokesperson for the Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts as well as the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District.

Vucha said in Woodstock, fire crews responded to a tree that fell on utility lines the vicinity of Jackson and Douglas streets.

Fire crews responded to several other weather-related calls during the afternoon, but “most involved minor issues and did not require significant fire department intervention,” Vucha said.

Some trees were blocking roadways and wires were down, mostly in the northwest corner of the county, McHenry County Emergency Management Agency Director David Christensen said Tuesday afternoon. Christensen added there was heavy rain in Harvard.

Vucha said people should treat downed power lines as if they are live and people should not touch, drive over or try move them. People should call 911 to report hazardous conditions.

The National Weather Service received reports of wind gusts of 65 mph in Harvard and wind gusts of 57 mph in Huntley, said Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the weather bureau.

The weather also prompted officials to cancel the Crystal Lake Community Band concert scheduled for Tuesday evening at Main Beach, according to the park district Facebook page.

Yack also said the weather service got a report of downed power lines and tree branches in Harvard.

More storms were expected in McHenry County Tuesday evening, followed by off and on showers into and during Wednesday, Yack said. Rain is likely again Wednesday, but mainly before 10 a.m., according to the weather service forecast.

In addition to showers, a cold front will also lower temperatures, according to the weather service. Tuesday’s high was 85 degrees in Woodstock, while Wednesday’s high is forecast to be 69 degrees, according to the weather service.