Winds in excess of 70 mph were recorded as the storm whipped through Boone County eastward to Cook County, according to the National Weather Service.
The afternoon skies quickly darkened as the storm rolled into Chicago on Friday, knocking down trees, blowing garbage above high-rise buildings and sending glass flying from downtown buildings, including near the city's most iconic skyscraper.
"You know how icicles fall? It was just falling like that," said Cynthia Garcia, a clerk at a Walgreens store across from the building previously known as the Sears Tower. "People started running in."
Windows were blown out in a 29th-floor air-conditioning mechanical room and a 25th-floor unoccupied office, Chicago Battalion Chief Michael Gubricky said. He said at least two other windows on the 110-story building were cracked.
Police roped off areas around the tower, where shattered glass littered surrounding sidewalks, and blocked traffic as engineers surveyed the damage. No injuries were reported at the building, said police spokeswoman Antoinette Ursitti. A message left Friday for a Willis Tower spokesman was not immediately returned.
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