Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for Chicago area as strong storms could bring hail, wind, isolated tornadoes
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for Boone, Cook, DuPage, Grundy, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, Kankakee, LaSalle, Lake, McHenry and Will counties in Illinois and Lake, Jasper, Newton and Porter counties in Indiana until 8 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Kendall County until 3:15 p.m., Cook, DuPage and Will counties until 3:45 p.m. and Grundy and LaSalle counties until 4 p.m.
Storms are expected to develop west of Chicago and move swiftly into and through our area. As of 1 p.m., models suggest that storms will enter LaSalle and DeKalb counties by about 2 p.m., then move through Chicago between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. before moving onto Northwest Indiana. Storms are expected to be out of Northwest Indiana by about 7:30 p.m.
The storms could bring hail up to one inch in diameter and wind gusts up to 79 miles per hour. There is also a risk for tornadoes developing, which while low is also not zero.
While the storms are expected to bring heavy downpours, they're also expected to move through the Chicago area much quicker than last week's storms that caused flash flooding on the West Side. As such, there is less of a flooding risk Wednesday evening but a greater chance of wind damage from strong, gusty winds.
The majority of the Chicago area is under a level two "slight" risk of severe weather.
Temperatures Wednesday will reach the 90s with noticeable humidity, driving real feel up towards 100 degrees. The storms will drop those temperatures drastically by about 20 degrees, with forecasted highs for Thursday only in the low 70s and cooler than we've seen in more than a month. In some lakefront communities, Thursday highs may not even reach 70.
The onshore winds keeping temperatures cool will also produce dangerous swimming and boating conditions; a Beach Hazard Statement is expected on Thursday into Friday.
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