Friday Update: Our latest Friday morning weather story can be found here. Our original story continues below.
As the Midwest braces for a potential outbreak of severe weather on Friday, new models used by the NBC 5 Storm Team illustrate the threat for tornadic activities within the storms.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, the NBC 5 viewing area, along with most of Illinois and parts of western Indiana, are at an “enhanced risk” of severe weather on Friday, the third of five categories included in the SPC’s scale.
Parts of northwestern Illinois and eastern Iowa are at a “moderate risk,” which is the fourth of the five categories and illustrates that there is a significant chance of severe weather occurring in the area.
According to SPC alerts, “intense and widespread” severe thunderstorms are expected to develop Friday afternoon, and will sprint across Illinois in the early evening.
Those storms could move rapidly to the east at 60-to-70 miles per hour, bringing with it damaging winds and the possibility for tornadoes.
Models used by the NBC 5 Storm Team illustrate the latter threat, with “rotation tracker” software showing the possibility of rotation developing within storm cells as they race across the area.
Local
That rotation could spark tornado warnings in the area, and forecasters are warning that any tornadoes that do touch down during the storms could be “rain-wrapped,” meaning that they may not be readily visible as they move across the ground.
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Areas of rotation could develop within the storms as they arrive in the western suburbs around 7 p.m. Friday, and those storms are expected to move quickly into the Chicago area around the 8 p.m. hour.
In addition to the chance of tornadoes, there is a chance of isolated hail with the storms, as well as frequent lightning and heavy downpours. Damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour could also occur, with locally-fierce wind gusts caused by a “bowing” of the lines of thunderstorms as they approach.
For all the latest information, stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team throughout the day Friday, with our 24/7 Streaming service showing any updates if severe weather threatens the region.
