The north and northwest suburbs have been particularly hard hit, as wind gusts sometimes in excess of 60 miles an hour pummeled the area. "I heard the wind this morning, and I knew it was going to be pretty crazy when we came out," suburban resident Abbi Blaze said. In Waukegan, high winds downed power lines along North Chapel Road.

A powerful storm swept across western Washington, bringing strong winds, heavy rain in the lowlands, and dangerous snowy conditions in the mountains.There were