Chicago, Ill. – Anyone with evening travel plans across northern Illinois should be prepared for rapidly changing weather as severe thunderstorms are expected to develop tonight, with the greatest threat shifting southeast across the region through the overnight hours. Damaging wind gusts topping 70 mph could down trees, cause scattered power outages, and create hazardous driving conditions.
According to the National Weather Service in Chicago, scattered thunderstorms, some of them severe, are expected to develop this evening and move from northwest to southeast at around 40 mph. The first storms are expected to reach areas near the Illinois-Wisconsin border between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., spread into the Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding suburbs between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m., then continue into east-central Illinois and northwest Indiana between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The primary hazard is damaging straight-line winds capable of exceeding 70 mph, with a lower but notable risk for large hail. Torrential rainfall may also accompany stronger storms, leading to localized flooding in areas where heavy rain falls in a short period.
Communities including Rockford, DeKalb, Elgin, Aurora, Joliet, Chicago, Kankakee, Pontiac, and nearby areas should closely monitor weather warnings this evening. Drivers should be prepared for sudden reductions in visibility, debris on roadways, and strong crosswinds, especially on interstates including I-90, I-88, I-80, and I-55.
Residents are encouraged to secure loose outdoor items, charge electronic devices before storms arrive, and have multiple ways to receive warnings overnight. Severe thunderstorm warnings could be issued quickly as storms strengthen and move across northern Illinois through the early morning hours Tuesday.
