Strong storms brought rain, hail and high winds to parts of the Chicago area Wednesday.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued across the Chicago area as storms began moving through in the late afternoon. The latest warning, which involved Will, Cook and Kankakee counties in Illinois and Jasper and Newton counties in Indiana, remained in effect until 8 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued for parts of the area, including Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall and Will counties in Illinois and Jasper, Newton, Porter and Lake counties in Indiana until 9 p.m.
Hail of up to a quarter-inch was reported in Plainfield and Bolingbrook as storms moved through both areas and hail of up to an inch was seen in Ottawa. Wind gusts of more than 60 mph were reported in Peru in LaSalle County and Newark in Kendall County.
Tree limbs were down across Streator and Mendota, and several homes in the southwest suburbs were damaged. Families in Joliet saw the siding peel off their homes, and their trampoline completely mangled.
Around 21,000 customers were without power around 9 p.m., according to ComEd, who were working into the night to restore service to customers.
Another hot & humid day ahead with the potential for strong to severe storms later today & early tonight @nbcchicago pic.twitter.com/jjeCaCbmxM
— Andy Avalos (@NBCAndyAvalos) July 13, 2016
Local
The storms moved out of the Chicago area Wednesday night, turning mostly cloudy, mild and muggy in the overnight hours. Models show there is potential for a few scattered showers or isolated storms to redevelop, with overnight temps in the upper 60s to low 70s.
Hot & humid again today with periods of scattered showers & storms, possibly severe late aft./eve. @nbcchicago pic.twitter.com/q0AtoPtHcF
— Andy Avalos (@NBCAndyAvalos) July 13, 2016
Thursday will likely begin with cloudy skies before giving way to more sun. The day is expected to be breezy but still quite warm and turning gradually less humid with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s.
The days to follow will be beautiful, just in time for the weekend.
A break from the humidity will finally come Friday, with a sunny, breezy and enjoyable day. Temperatures will be milder, in the upper 70s to low 80s.
Sunshine will stay through Saturday for another warm day in the low 80s, but cooler along the lakefront.
The threat of stormy weather returns Sunday, with showers and storms possible to end the weekend and the first few days of the work week.
