The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the entire Chicago area earlier Thursday, with the watch being canceled in several counties before its 11 p.m. expiration.
A severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect for LaSalle, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties are included in the watch area. Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana, are also included.
The watch has been canceled in several Chicago-area counties, including Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, DeKalb and McHenry counties.
Trains on the Metra UP-NW line between Palatine and Fox River Grove and the UP-N line between Braeside and Great Lakes were halted due to high winds during the storms, officials said.
Earlier warnings in McHenry and Lake counties were allowed to expire, with gusts of up to 70 miles per hour reported in the area.
The storms come amid the conclusion of a stifling heat wave that brought the hottest temperatures of the year to the Chicago area.
High temps on Tuesday reached 99 degrees at O’Hare International Airport, with heat indices exceeding 115 degrees.
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