Chicago Weather

Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warnings Issued for Much of Chicago Area

The threat comes after severe weather tore through the Chicago area Friday, bringing wind gusts in excess of 80 miles per hour and at least a dozen tornadoes to the region

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Much of the Chicago area is under a severe thunderstorm watch Tuesday as the first of multiple waves of storms could soon move in.

The watch, which is in effect until 3 p.m., includes Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle and Will counties in Illinois as well as Lake County in Indiana. Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois were later added to that alert.

A severe thunderstorm warning was also issued for LaSalle County initially as a dangerous storm system had started moving in, prompting forecasters to urge residents to "take cover." Warnings were issued for western Kendall, northern LaSalle and southern DeKalb counties until 1 p.m. and for northern DeKalb, northwestern Kane and southwestern McHenry counties until 1:30 p.m.

Another warning for northern Kendall, central DeKalb and Kane County was in effect until 1:15 p.m.; for Lake, northeastern Kane, McHenry and northern Cook counties until 2:30 p.m.; and northeastern Kendall, northwestern Will, southeastern Kane, DuPage and Cook counties until 2:45 p.m. (Track storms with live radar below)

The alerts warn of "destructive hail" up to the size of a baseball and damaging wind gusts in excess of 70 mph with the storms.

"If you receive a warning, take cover away from windows," the NWS tweeted. "These are dangerous storms!"

According the National Weather Service, severe storms are possible during the late morning and afternoon hours, particularly north of Interstate 88.

Track the storms as they move through the area live with our interactive radar:

A second round of severe weather could potentially set up for late Tuesday afternoon and into the evening, though "there remains considerable uncertainty" surrounding whether or not this round will in fact develop. If they do, "all modes of severe weather would be possible," particularly in northern and western portions of the area.

The threat comes after severe weather tore through the Chicago area Friday, bringing wind gusts in excess of 80 miles per hour and at least a dozen tornadoes to the region.

Just like Friday’s storms, the main threats with a potential outbreak Tuesday would be damaging hail and wind gusts, along with a chance of isolated tornadoes.

But unlike Friday, the threat for severe weather hinges on a "cap" of warm air.

According to the NWS, if the "cap" of warm air is strong enough, it could prevent any storms from developing at all. If it weakens enough to allow thunderstorms, "they will quickly become severe."

Those storms could then be capable of producing "destructive hail" and possibly more tornadoes, with the potential for "extensive damage."

Storms will again be possible Wednesday morning, some of which could become severe as a cold front pushes into the region.

The threat for strong to potentially severe conditions will likely be between 6 a.m. and noon, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.

As the storms move through, temperatures will quickly fall. Highs by Thursday will sit in the 40s.

As always, stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team’s latest forecasts on all platforms, including our station’s 24/7 Streaming News channel and on the NBC Chicago app, available on both Apple and Android devices.

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