From Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning, emergency crews were fully occupied with removing fallen trees and power lines that caused power outages following severe thunderstorms in Lake County.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a severe weather warning for southern Lake County at around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

The warning said severe thunderstorms were located along a line from Prairie Grove to Oakwood Hills, moving east at 30 mph.

The NWS said wind gusts of up to 70 mph and hailstone-sized particles were possible.

“Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Significant tree damage is to be expected. Wind damage is also to be expected on mobile homes, roofs and outbuildings,” the warning states.

Due to the strong winds, Metra stopped train service on the Union Pacific North Line and the Union Pacific Northwest Line.

The severe thunderstorms occurred while an extreme heat warning was in effect for the county and surrounding Chicago area.

The NWS said dangerously hot conditions were reported Tuesday, with heat index readings ranging from 110 to 115 degrees.

Most of the damage from the storms in the two counties appears to have occurred in southern Lake County.

Firefighters and police were busy responding to storm-related emergency calls such as downed power lines, fallen trees and alarms related to power outages.

A tree fell in one of the lanes on Route 83 northbound on Northfield Drive in Long Grove.

Cars had to change lanes to avoid hitting the tree. A rear-end collision almost occurred when one car braked abruptly to avoid hitting the tree, causing the cars behind it to come to an abrupt stop.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrived and closed a portion of the road until the Illinois Department of Transportation could remove the tree.

Nearby, construction signs and a stop sign were seen scattered along the road on Routes 60 and 45 in Mundelein.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Auxiliary Unit was called to assist deputies in responding to storm-related incidents in the county.

“A big thank you to our Lake County Sheriff’s Office Auxiliary Unit for their assistance last night! This team at our office assists our deputies and local police departments almost daily! Thank you for all you do!” the sheriff’s office said.

As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, about 27,000 ComEd customers were without power. As of 9 a.m., 17,600 customers were still without power, including more than 5,400 customers in Lake County.

Christopher Covelli, chief deputy for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, said his office responded to 25 weather-related emergency calls. No injuries were reported in any of the calls.

In Wauconda, public works, police and fire departments worked until midnight to clear roads and help with other problems, officials said, and were back in action Wednesday morning to continue the cleanup.

The Town of Wauconda is open as a village emergency cooling center for those without power. Bangs Lake will remain closed Wednesday while workers repair the piers, assess damage to boats and remove hazards from the water.

“We ask for patience as construction crews continue to assess storm damage throughout the village today. Last night, their efforts focused on downed trees and branches that blocked roads,” officials said.

The municipality of Deerfield said ComEd deployed a number of teams from other regions as well as outside response teams to resolve power outages.

“Please place branches and debris from the storm at the side of the road by Thursday evening so that they can be picked up by the building department on Friday. Anything placed at the side of the road after Thursday is subject to the building department’s collection protocols,” the village said.

On Wednesday morning, a generator caught fire at the Deerfield Public Works facility, forcing the building to be closed to the public.

The Lake County Transportation Department reported that there were disruptions at numerous traffic lights in Long Grove, Deerfield and Riverwoods and that drivers should expect delays.