Downed trees were scattered across roads and thousands were without power after a line of destructive storms hit the city.

An outbreak of severe weather spawned numerous thunderstorm warnings and wind gusts in excess of 70 miles per hour in some locations.

A busy stretch of severe thunderstorms is underway due to record heat and now the threats are ramping up, putting major metro areas from Chicago to Nashville under threat as the country hits the peak of tornado season.

Friday is expected to be another potentially windy day with storms approaching the Chicago area in the afternoon and evening.

Those weather threats include heavy rain, 75 mile-per-hour winds, large hail or even tornadoes, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said. But there's also a chance that the storms don't develop, Roman said, due to the dry air in place.

Day turned to night in northwest Indiana and north-central Illinois on Friday as a rare dust storm shrouded the skies.

Significant damage was reported by first responders around Juneau and Mayville, Wisconsin, as a line of tornado-warned storms raced through on Thursday evening.

It was the first time the city had seen a dust storm since May 10, 1934, which was during the first wave of the Dust Bowl. Friday's storm was carrying dust picked up from farms in central Illinois, and raced north toward the Chicago area.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There was a threat of storms Thursday night in the Chicago area. There were also record-high temperatures. A Tornado Watch and Severe Thunderstorm Warning were in effect for multiple counties in Illinois and northwest Indiana, but they have since expired.