Tornado Watch for parts of Illinois, Indiana and Flood Watch across Chicago area as potentially severe storms approach
The forecast for the Chicago area Wednesday includes a risk of severe storms, tornado watches, and now an increased risk of dangerous flooding.
A Tornado Watch has been issued for Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Livingston, Kankakee and Will counties in Illinois and Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter counties in Indiana until 7 p.m. CDT (8 p.m. EDT).
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for Cook, DuPage, Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall, La Salle and Livingston counties until 8 p.m.
The highest probability for tornadoes is south and southeast of Chicago, largely in Northwest Indiana, but the flooding risk is highest in the city of Chicago down into the south and southwest suburbs.
Torrential rain is expected to move into the Chicago area this afternoon, with 1 to 3 inches of rain expected to fall in just six to seven hours. In some areas, 4 inches of rainfall in that time is possible.
A Tornado Watch has also been issued for central and southern Illinois until 4 p.m. While that watch does not yet reach the Chicago area, it is possible it could be extended north in the coming hours.
Humid conditions will add to the intensity of the storms this afternoon and evening throughout the area.
The window for severe weather will primarily be between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
From lunchtime lasting through dinnertime, storms that do flare up have the possibility of going strong to severe. The greater likelihood of more potent storms will be south and east of the I-55 corridor. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a level 1 out of 5 risk for areas north and west of Chicago, and a level 2 out of 5 for Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, with the enhanced risk level 3 out of 5 expanding through northwest Indiana and into eastern sections of the Chicago metro area.
Waves of rain and storms can be expected through the evening hours, so make sure you have the rain gear with you. Also, make sure to have a way to get weather alerts in case a storm does get warned in your area.
Storms will end Thursday but what follows them is a building heat wave, with humidity levels that will push the heat index above 100 throughout the Chicago area. Record-tying high temperatures are expected Sunday.
