Severe weather conditions swept through Evanston on Wednesday, causing power outages and prompting University officials to cancel outdoor athletic events and alter shuttle schedules.
“Members of the Northwestern University community are advised to use caution in areas near Lake Michigan due to high winds occurring this afternoon and tonight,” the University said in an email statement Wednesday afternoon. “High waves are expected on the lake as a result of the strong winds. Members of the Northwestern community are encouraged to stay away from the lakefront area.”
The warning came a few hours before the National Weather Service issued high wind and lakeshore flood warnings for the Evanston area, saying winds up to 60 mph were likely.
The conditions were reportedly the result of a “powerful low pressure system,” which produced winds exceeding 50 mph over Lake Michigan, according to the Chicago Weather Center.
Both students and Evanston residents experienced brief power outages after the wind downed a Commonwealth Edison utility pole on the corner of Orrington Avenue and Clinton Street, according to statements by both Northwestern Facilities Management and the City of Evanston.
“This has nothing to do with the school’s electrical system. It has to do with outside utilities,” said Gary Wojtowicz, director of operations for Facilities Management in Evanston.
Commonwealth Edison reported that the storm left more than 700 Evanston residents without electricity. Workers resolved the outages, which began just before 3 p.m., by approximately 8 p.m.
Some students were asked to evacuate affected buildings until the issue was resolved.
“At first, the staff at Sargent just told us to stay there,” said McCormick freshman Bruno Peynetti, who was eating lunch when the power went out. “They told us it had never happened before and they didn’t know what to do. We eventually had to evacuate the building.”
Other students noted similarities between Wednesday’s incidents and more protracted North Campus blackouts over the summer.
“There were at least three separate instances where the power would go out for one, two, three days at a time,” said McCormick sophomore Andrew Boston, who spent part of the summer working in a lab on campus. “There would be signs posted on the door of fraternities saying that no one could enter until such-and-such date.”
Jason Vanderlinden, a Weinberg sophomore and former Daily staffer, spent the summer doing research on campus and experienced a power outage that lasted two days.
“I think a lot of it had to do with the heavy winds we were experiencing,” he said. “We had a tornado warning one night, during which the power was out.”
University officials also canceled Wednesday’s men’s soccer game against Loyola Chicago, citing Lakeside Field’s proximity to Lake Michigan as the determining factor.
Although service times were altered in response to the weather, Northwestern Shuttle Services could not be reached for comment.
