Chicago, IL – Northern Illinois and the Chicago area face two rounds of thunderstorms Sunday, with the second round carrying a risk of damaging winds, hail, a few tornadoes and flash flooding.
According to the National Weather Service Chicago office, scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected Sunday morning into early afternoon. Storms are forecast to progress eastward, reaching areas around Rockford roughly between 8 and 11 a.m., the Chicago area between about 9 a.m. and noon, and northwest Indiana between approximately 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
All morning thunderstorms could produce lightning, localized downpours and gusty winds. The strongest could generate damaging winds capable of bringing down tree limbs and hail up to 1 inch in diameter.
A potentially more significant round could develop Sunday evening and continue overnight, roughly from 5 p.m. until 4 a.m. Monday.
The weather service placed much of northern Illinois, including Chicago, Rockford, Ottawa and Kankakee, along with portions of northwest Indiana, under a Level 2 of 5 severe thunderstorm threat.
Damaging winds and hail are possible with the evening storms, along with a few tornadoes. Torrential rainfall also brings a Level 2 of 4 flood threat, with flash flooding possible on roads and in low-lying areas, fields and basements. Heavy rain could also cause rapid rises on creeks.
The unsettled pattern does not end Sunday. Additional thunderstorms are possible Monday through Wednesday, with another severe and localized flash-flood threat especially Sunday afternoon through Monday night.
Residents should have multiple ways to receive weather warnings and use extra caution when driving during heavy rainfall.
