Severe thunderstorm warning issued for Chicago area; scattered hail and strong wind likely
Severe thunderstorms expected to hit the Chicago area Thursday afternoon. The authorities and the media have reported that the harsh weather will continue late into the May 16, evening and that a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for most of northern Illinois until 3 a.m. on Friday.
The weather watch reportedly includes Bureau, Ford, Iroquois, La Salle, Marshall, Putnam, Whiteside, Carroll, Grundy, Kankakee, Lee, Mercer, Rock Island, Will, De Kalb, Henry, Kendall, Livingston, Ogle and Stark counties. Storms that formed over southern Wisconsin started moving into northern Illinois in the mid-morning, according to the National Weather Service. A tornado warning is also in effect until 12:30 p.m. for the area around rural Lake Holiday.
Fox 32 reported that the National Weather Service (NWS) said that there is currently an elevated thunderstorm risk with an associated high risk of lime-sized hail and elevated damaging wind risk on Thursday evening. A conditional severe thunderstorm threat remains for mid to late evening on Thursday and into early morning Friday.
The NWS also said that the atmosphere is stable following earlier storms but that it should regain its strength again tonight. The initial storms in the system are reportedly going to be capable of strong winds and large hail. According to the NWS, the threat may end up shifting to very heavy rainfall and localized flooding potential overnight.
Severe thunderstorms were reported over most of the Chicago area on Thursday afternoon and a few power outages were reported in several south suburban towns. The thunderstorms are said to continue into Friday morning. The strongest and potentially severe storms will occur along the I-80 corridor. The NWS has also reported that periods of thunderstorms can be expected through the weekend and into next week with additional chances for severe storms.
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