In 2026 alone, 20 major storms and 57 confirmed tornadoes have impacted the northern Illinois region, causing 2.4 million customer interruptions and some of the most severe summer weather in recent memory. As severe weather and growing electrification put new demands on the region’s infrastructure, grid resilience is becoming increasingly important to Chicago’s communities and its economy.
Join Crain’s Chicago Business and ComEd on Nov. 10 for Power Under Pressure: Preparing Northern Illinois’ Grid for Severe Weather. Crain’s Publisher Jim Kirk will sit down with ComEd President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones to discuss lessons from recent storms, the implications for economic growth and what it will take to build a more resilient grid.
The conversation will continue with an expert panel moderated by ABC7 Chicago’s meteorologist Cheryl Scott and featuring Dr. Tom Wall, Director of Argonne National Laboratory’s Center for Resilience and Decision Science, who will discuss new findings that are soon-to-be revealed on the weather risks facing the power grid through mid-century. The conversation will cover how escalating precipitation, storms and other rapidly evolving weather patterns are bound to shape future grid planning and the investments that will be needed to protect infrastructure and dependable service for 9 million people in the region.
Registration is free.