Storms stop trains, leave thousands without power in Chicago area

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE June 21, 2011 4:51PM Updated: June 21, 2011 10:53PM More than 271,000 Commonwealth Edison customers are without power, while other people are stranded on stopped Metra trains, after a severe thunderstorm downed power lines and trees throughout the Chicago area Tuesday night. The storm, which hit Chicago about 9 p.m., prompted numerous tornado warnings throughout the area, according to the National Weather Service. By 9:30 p.m., the most severe portion of the storms passed to the northeast