Heavy rain and high winds prompted tornado and thunderstorms warnings for several areas south of Chicago Monday.
NBC 5 weather models showed rain picking up during the afternoon with a few storms possible after 7 p.m., especially south of the city.
The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Watch for several counties south of Chicago and in central Illinois, including Will, Kankakee, Grundy, Jasper and Livingston counties in Illinois and Jasper, Porter, Newton, Lake and Benton counties in Northwest Indiana. The watch remains in effect until 10 p.m.
A Tornado Warning was also issued for Kankakee County that remained in effect until 9 p.m.
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Storms in some areas were forecast to produce wind gusts of about 60 mph, according to the NWS, as well as very heavy rainfall and occasional cloud-to-ground lightning.
Rain likely will be widely scattered across the area, and any threat of storms continues into Monday night. Storms could produce up to two inches of rain and result in the rise of rivers and streams.
Scattered showers become possible again on Tuesday, and the chance for rain remains through Thursday. Temperatures hover around the mid-60s for most of the week.
Monday's potentially severe weather comes after a picture-perfect day for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Race-time highs in the mid-50s prepped elite runners for a possible course record but no records were set.
