Chicago Weather

Timeline: What to Expect and When as Potentially Severe Storms Eye Chicago Area

Stormy weather threatens to bring large hail, damaging wind gusts of up to 60 mph and the slight potential for a brief tornado

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Potentially severe storms are expected to hit the Chicago area Monday, with large hail, damaging winds and the slight risk of a tornado possible.

What can you expect and when as the storms arrive in northern Illinois?

Here's a breakdown:

Cloudy Monday morning

After a summer-like weekend, Monday started off mostly cloudy, breezy and mild with scattered, light showers. But as sunshine potentially breaks through, it will destabilize the atmosphere as a cold front moves through.

Storms to begin Monday afternoon and early evening

Showers and storms are expected to grow more numerous by the late-afternoon and evening hours, moving in from west to east.

The storms are expected to begin after 4 p.m.

Based on model data Monday morning, a line of storms looks to develop around 5 p.m. along the I-39 corridor in far western counties. It will then likely head eastward to the Fox Valley between 6 and 6:30 p.m., reaching the lakefront between 7 and 8 p.m. before exiting northwest Indiana by 9 or 10 p.m.

Storms that do develop have the potential to become severe, with large hail and damaging wind gusts of up to 60 mph. While the tornado threat remains low across the area, a small risk still remains, meaning a brief tornado can't be ruled out with this system, according to NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologists.

The entire Chicago area is under an elevated risk of severe weather, but the biggest threat will likely be in areas far south and west of Chicago.

Storms to end late Monday evening

The storms will likely end by the late-evening hours, leaving behind a few lingering spotty showers.

Temperature highs Monday will be in the 70s, the highest of the work week and the start of a cooling trend across the area. Conditions are set to dip back into the 60s and 50s for the remainder of the week.

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