Chicago and its surrounding areas in northern Illinois experienced multiple tornado warnings on Tuesday as severe weather swept through the region. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch extending until 10 p.m., covering northeastern Illinois and northwest Indiana, including the entire NBC 5 viewing area.
Tornado warnings were active in southeastern McHenry County, southern Lake County, northwestern DuPage County, and northwestern Cook County, set to remain in effect through at least 7:45 p.m. Severe thunderstorm warnings covered virtually all of northeastern Illinois until 8:15 p.m., with potential for half-dollar size hail and wind gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour.
As evening approached, severe thunderstorms were forecasted to sweep through the area ahead of a swiftly moving cold front, bringing with them tornadoes, damaging hail, and gusty winds. The Storm Prediction Center upgraded the entire Chicago area to an “enhanced” risk of severe weather, with the possibility of gusts up to 60 miles per hour and hail up to two inches in diameter, along with the potential for “significant” tornadoes.
Intense thunderstorms were expected to develop Tuesday evening, possibly spawning tornadoes, “some of which may be significant,” particularly along and south of Interstate 80, according to the National Weather Service. Additional threats included heavy downpours and gusty winds, which could impact the entire region, potentially causing damage to tree limbs, power lines, and unsecured outdoor objects with wind gusts reaching upwards of 60 miles per hour.
The storms were anticipated to move out of the area by late evening, bringing a sharp drop in temperatures into the 30s overnight and possibly into the 20s by Wednesday morning. The risk of accumulating snow persisted as the low-pressure system departed, with heaviest accumulations expected west of Chicago due to ample moisture and earlier cooling temperatures compared to other parts of the state.
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