Rising heat and humidity along with the possibility for strong to severe storms was in the Chicago forecast Tuesday, with chances for damaging winds, "torrential" rains, hail and localized flooding, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.
Showers and storms weren't expected to move into the area until later in the day, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said, though an isolated shower or storm could develop around 3 p.m. to the south and southwest, Roman said.
A better chance for storms comes late Tuesday, Roman said, with a line of showers in far western Illinois set to move into the Northeastern part of the state beginning around 10 or 11 p.m.
During the overnight hours, the entire Chicago area will be under a "marginal" risk of severe weather, which ranks as level one on the Storm Prediction Center's severe weather scale. Further west, Illinois will be at a "slight" risk of severe weather, which ranks as level two, Roman said.
According to Roman, the main threats associated with storms overnight will be damaging wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, large, damaging hail, heavy rain and localized flash flooding.
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The rain is expected to last through the Wednesday morning hours, with showers and storms set to finally fizzle by around 11 a.m. Roman said.
Steamy temperatures will also set in Tuesday, Roman said, with highs in the 90s. Dew points in the 60s and 70s were set to keep muggy, Roman said, with even higher humidity set to Wednesday and Thursday, when heat indices were expected to reach between 100 and 105 degrees.
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"Very steamy throughout the day tomorrow," Roman stressed.
Wednesday and Thursday will also see additional chances for rain, with the potential for strong to severe storms to develop early Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
