SPRING MOUNTAINS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, NV – AUGUST 12: Lightning strikes behind a home in the community of Cold Creek as a line of monsoon storms sweep through the Mount Charleston Wilderness Area about 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas early on August 12, 2018 in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Nevada. Strong winds clocked up to 70 mph knocked down power poles and wires cutting power to more than 55,000 customers in the Las Vegas valley. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Chicago’s northern and western suburbs, with a “marginal” risk of strong-to-severe storms hitting the region this afternoon.
According to the National Weather Service, the watch covers a large swath of northern and northwestern Illinois, and includes McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane and LaSalle counties in the Chicago area. It is set to remain in effect until 7 p.m.
The watch also includes parts of southern Wisconsin, including Kenosha County.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Kane County and northwestern Kendall County until 5:15 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
An additional severe thunderstorm warning was issued for northern Kane County and southeastern McHenry County until 5 p.m. According to the NWS, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Hampshire to six miles east of Sycamore, moving northeast at 35 miles per hour.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for northeastern Cook and northeastern DuPage counties until 7:45 p.m. At approximately 6:43 p.m., a severe thunderstorm was located over Bensenville and O'Hare Airport, moving northeast at 45 miles per hour, forecasters said. Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour and quarter-size hail were possible.
Local
According to the Storm Prediction Center, most of northern Illinois is currently under a “marginal risk” of severe weather on Sunday. The expectation is that any storms that develop could potentially pack gusty winds and heavy rain, with frequent lightning also expected with the storms.
Wind gusts could potentially reach 70 miles per hour in some locations, officials said. Half-inch diameter hail is also possible with the storms.
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Officials say that the likely arrival time of storms could be anywhere from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, with areas to the west and north of Chicago potentially bearing the brunt of any severe weather outbreak.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued just after 2 p.m. in Ogle County on a storm that was producing gusty winds and low-level rotation, indicating that a tornado was potentially a threat within the cell. No tornado warning has been issued thus far, however.
The storms are expected to weaken later in the evening, but scattered storms and showers could potentially impact the entire Chicago area for the remainder of the day Sunday before clearing out around midnight.
Another chance of strong-to-severe storms exists on Monday, with the SPC once again putting the Chicago area under the “marginal” risk category.
After a cold front moves through the area late Monday, the weather is expected to quiet down considerably for the remainder of the week, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s expected through the start of the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest details, and download the NBC Chicago app for forecasts and for live radar feeds.
