ComEd Faces Second Major Outage in Three Days as Severe Storms Batter Northern Illinois — Commonwealth Edison Company

Event summary

ComEd is restoring power to over 370,000 customers after a second round of severe storms in three days, with wind gusts up to 96 MPH and potential tornadoes.
As of August 11, 2026, more than 257,000 customers remain without power, with ComEd estimating 80% restoration by noon on August 13 and 99% by 11 p.m. on August 15.
The hardest-hit areas include Homewood, Chicago Heights, Lansing, and Joliet, where extensive damage to trees, power lines, and utility poles has occurred.
This marks the 19th major weather event affecting ComEd customers in 2026, the highest number in over two decades.

The big picture

ComEd’s back-to-back outages highlight the growing challenge of extreme weather events for utility companies. With Illinois recording more tornadoes than any other state in 2026, ComEd’s ability to manage frequent disruptions will be critical for maintaining service reliability and regulatory compliance. The company’s smart grid investments have mitigated some risks, but the scale of recent damage underscores the need for further resilience enhancements.

What we're watching

Infrastructure Resilience: How ComEd's grid modernization investments will affect the pace of future outage recoveries.
Regulatory Scrutiny: Whether repeated outages could trigger regulatory reviews or penalties for ComEd and its parent company, Exelon Corporation.
Operational Costs: The financial impact of extensive repairs and the deployment of nearly 3,000 crews on ComEd's quarterly earnings.