The Chicago area could see another round of severe weather late Saturday after two tornadoes ripped through, toppling trees and causing power outages for thousands.
Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in the morning hours as communities experienced heavy rainfall, strong winds and flooding. By 6 p.m., the rain hadn't let up everywhere, and several streets remained closed because of high floodwaters.
Portions of the Chicago area along the Illinois-Wisconsin border remain at an "enhanced risk" for severe weather as a storm system from Minnesota and Wisconsin heads southeast, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Showers and storms are expected to move in at approximately 8 p.m., bringing the possibility of isolated tornadoes, damaging winds of up to 70 miles per hour and hail of up to an inch in diameter.
With some Lake County communities seeing extensive flooding, the National Weather Service issued a flood warning, saying "water levels above flood stage are imminent or may already be occurring" near or along the Des Plaines River.
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As of 3:45 p.m., the river was at 11.1 feet. The river is expected to crest near 16 feet Sunday morning, which is one foot above flood stage. A flash flood warning remains in effect until further notice, according to the NWS.
The threat isn't as severe in other nearby communities, although they could see flash flooding, too.
Local
Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, McHenry and Will counties in Illinois as well as Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana are under a flash flood watch from 7 p.m. until Sunday morning.
By midnight, the first batch of storms will move on out, according to NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologists. But that won't be the end of the rain.
More showers and storms are expected to develop in the early morning hours, moving in from the east around 5 a.m. and eventually winding down around 10 a.m.
Drier conditions will settle in during the following hours, paving the way for a pattern of dry weather in the upcoming days.
