Southwest Suburbs Hit With Large Hail

Storms that popped in areas south and west of Joliet, in Will County, produced torrential rainfall and dropped large hailstones

The Chicago area saw temperatures hit the 90 degree mark for the first time Wednesday, but that high heat came with a cost.

Storms that popped in areas south and west of Joliet, in Will County, produced torrential rainfall and dropped large hailstones -- some larger than four inches in diameter. One resident told NBC Chicago the hail fell for more than one hour.

The hailstones were smaller a little farther east, in Elwood, where dime-sized hailstones littered the ground. 

O'Hare International Airport, where the city's weather conditions are officially recorded, reported 90 degrees at 2:30 p.m. Midway International Airport clocked in with 92 degrees. The heat index, which takes into account humidity, pushed the temperature a couple of degrees higher.

Temperatures were expected to drop into the low- to mid-60s overnight, with highs Thursday ranging from the 60s along the lakefront to the mid-80s inland.

Friday's highs should stay in the 80s. 

The afternoon storms that popped were the second instance of severe weather for the day. Earlier, a Severe Thunderstorm warning was issued for northern Porter County in Northwest Indiana.

Severe thunderstorms were located in the Ogden Dunes, South Haven and near the lakes of the four seasons, the National Weather Service reported. That warning remained in effect until 7:30 a.m.

A special weather statement was also issued earlier for LaSalle, Will, Livingston, Kankakee, Kendall and Grundy counties in Illinois and Porter, Newton, Lake and Jasper counties in Indiana. The statement warned of scattered strong storms near the Interstate 80 corridor that were moving southeast at 40 mph. Winds in excess of 40 mph were possible with the storms.

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