A tornado watch has been issued in Kenosha County, with the rest of the Chicago area at a “slight” risk of severe weather on Wednesday.
According to the National Weather Service, most of Wisconsin is under the tornado watch until 6 p.m., with showers and storms already firing up in the western part of the state.
The National Weather Service also issued a severe thunderstorm watch for all of northern Illinois, including the city of Chicago, until 8 p.m.
McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Cook, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties are all included in the watch, as are Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana.
The Storm Prediction Center has most of the Chicago area at a “slight” risk of storms, the second of five forecasted levels. The main threats with any storms that develop would be gusty winds, which could occur in excess of 60-to-70 miles per hour, according to forecast models.
A non-zero tornado risk is also in play for most of the area, and parts of the western suburbs could see damaging hail as well, according to the SPC.
The arrival time of those storms could occur in the late afternoon and early evening hours, just before the evening rush hour, according to the National Weather Service. Torrential rains are also possible, which could lead to localized flooding at times.
Once the low-pressure system moves out of the area, the Chicago area will see cooler temperatures and lower humidity on Thursday, with highs only expected to reach the mid-to-upper 70s, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
