Chicago-area residents reported golf ball-sized hail as severe storms brought destructive and life-threatening wind gusts over 80 mph to parts of the area, leaving thousands without power Monday.

The storms downed trees, flooded streets, grounded planes and left a trail of damage across several suburbs as they powered through the region.

Wind speeds in excess of 80 mph were reported with a “severe squall line” that moved through several suburbs, as forecasters warned of “extensive straight line wind damage.”

Locally higher wind gusts may have occurred, with numerous structures badly damaged in several communities, including Lansing, Orland Hills and Tinley Park, among others.

A second round of severe weather rumbled through the area later in the afternoon, prompting a new string of severe thunderstorm warnings and an additional tornado warning.

While the National Weather Service has not yet released confirmed information on the storms, there were multiple tornado reports from trained weather spotters, including in Orland Park and Glen Ellyn.

Here is a recap of what went down on Monday.

Tornado reports

Trained weather spotters reported tornado touchdowns in suburban Orland Park and Glen Ellyn, though the National Weather Service has not yet confirmed.

Wind damage and downed trees

In Wheaton, officials said they were responding to reports of flooding and fallen trees “across the community.”

“The City’s primary focus is clearing roadways to ensure safe rights-of-way for emergency responders and the public. Public Works crews will remain in the field working continuously until major hazards and roadway obstructions are resolved,” the city wrote in an update to residents.

Credit: Jeff Ruettiger

Credit: Jeff Ruettiger

The storms downed trees from Darien to Homewood to Glen Ellyn to Schaumburg and beyond.

Footage from Lansing, Illinois showed homes destroyed, roofs torn off and debris scattered across streets, with extensive damage seen in the area of 192nd Place and 193rd Pl ace on both Oakwood Avenue and Wildwood Avenue.

In Hazel Crest, portions of brick buildings were left with piles of rubble.

Tinley Park said ComEd crews were working to repair fallen power lines and clean storm debris across the suburb, with the popular Water Canyon Water Park closed as they attempt to repair damage from the storms.

“District staff are assessing the damage to White Water Canyon Water Park and working to complete any necessary repairs as quickly and safely as possible,” the park district wrote on social media. “The water park will remain closed as we continue storm cleanup efforts inside the park.”

In Evanston, officials said they received hundreds of calls of downed trees and power lines. Numerous streets were closed due to the dangerous conditions.

Transit delays

Nearly every Metra line experienced delays due to high winds and debris blown onto tracks, but the Electric Line was the hardest hit, with trains only running to 115th/Kensington after wires were damaged along the south suburban train route.

Delays also occurred on the CTA’s Red, Purple and Yellow lines because of debris, with service temporarily suspended on the latter two lines because of the storms.

Nearly 1,000 flights were canceled at Chicago’s airports due to severe weather, with ground stops lasting for hours as travelers were heavily impacted by the severe weather.

At O’Hare Airport, video obtained by NBC Chicago showed water leaking through the roof of the ceiling at near Gate B33. The Chicago Department of Aviation did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment.

Meanwhile, westbound Interstate 80 was closed at Kedzie Avenue in Hazel Crest after a truck tractor tanker became “immobilized” by downed power lines.

Hail

Hail was reported from Schaumburg to Roselle to Park Forest to Oak Forest and beyond, with some eye-popping hailstones reported across the region.

In Kenosha County, reports of baseball-sized hail were noted by the NWS. A trained weather spotter reported tennis ball-sized hail up to 2.5 inches in Westmont.

In Downers Grove, Oakbrook, Willowbrook, Lemont, Elmhurst and more golf ball-sized hail reports came in, with diameters of up to 1.75 inches.

Flooding

Meanwhile, Addison reported several street closures due to “a public safety incident involving a damaged electric pole” as well as flooding across several streets.

“Please avoid these areas, use alternate routes, and never drive through flooded roadways,” the Addison Police Department wrote on social media.

Flash flood warnings were issued across the area as multiple rounds of heavy rain occurred in the same areas during both rounds of storms, with significant road flooding in several locations.

Power outages

Meanwhile, nearly a half million residents were left without power in wake of the storms. You can get the latest updates on those outages here.