ComEd crews have successfully restored power to approximately 200,000 customers affected by the high winds and severe weather that swept through northern Illinois yesterday. As of 6 a.m. CDT today, only 3,500 customers are without power.

A high wind advisory still is in effect for the ComEd service territory. ComEd is preparing for extreme winds up to 55 mph that are forecasted to last through Wednesday. The impact of these powerful winds could result in additional outages across ComEd's northern Illinois service territory.

"Our crews are working around the clock to restore service to customers' homes and businesses that have been affected," said Anne Pramaggiore, ComEd president and COO. "We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work through these destructive storms."

The hardest hit areas are the far west suburbs and south suburbs which saw high winds knock over trees, and took down a transmission line in Sandwich, Illinois.

In preparation for the second day of high winds, ComEd is taking the following measures to protect its electrical distribution system:

• Keeping open company's emergency operations center and regional storm centers.
• Scheduling extra work crews.
• Enhancing call center staffing.

For updates on the storm restoration process, customers can visit ComEd.com Storm Center. For additional updates customers also can subscribe to the Outage Alert program and receive text messages that alert them of estimated restoration times and other important outage information affecting ComEd service. ComEd does not charge customers for this notification. To register, log on to ComEd.com, click on the "Customer Service" tab, Outage Information, then Outage Alerts.