Mary Beth Uretz, a Homewood, Ill., resident who spent Tuesday morning crying in her basement clutching her pets as severe storms swept through a broad swath of the Chicago area. The storms tore down trees, power lines and property, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands and delaying thousands of flights. Weather officials confirmed two tornadoes touched down. The storms came after another severe round over the weekend and a year in which Illinois has already set a record-breaking number of tornadoes. (Chicago Tribune)