The Chicago area will face a chance of severe weather on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a variety of threats posed to the region.
Those could include anything from large hail to damaging winds to even a risk of tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service and the NBC 5 Storm Team.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, most of Illinois is under a “slight” risk of severe weather, the second of five levels used by the SPC. Far western Illinois is at an “enhanced” risk of severe weather, according to those SPC models.
Western Indiana is at a “marginal” risk of severe weather Tuesday, and that threat will also exist Wednesday.
For more information, here is a timeline of how severe weather could unfold Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tuesday Afternoon:
Warm temperatures are once again expected across the area, with highs in the 70s in most locations in the Chicago area.
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Winds are also expected to kick up out of the southeast, gusting at 35-to-45 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
Far western portions of Illinois could also start to see the impacts of severe weather during that time, with officials warning of hail 1-to-2 inches in diameter and the threat of significant tornadoes. Parts of Iowa and Missouri could also face those threats.
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Tuesday Evening:
The Chicago area will start to see the impacts of severe weather in the evening hours, with the first time of arrival projected by the National Weather Service to occur at approximately 6 p.m.
Western areas of the region, including DeKalb and LaSalle counties, will be the first to see those severe storms, with the front sweeping to the northeast at approximately 40-to-50 miles per hour, according to NWS.
The city of Chicago and the southern suburbs could see that arrival by 7 or 8 p.m., but there is a small amount of uncertainty over exact arrival times for the storms.
The main threats posed by the severe storms could be hailstones of approximately one inch or more, which could cause damage to plants and to cars.
Damaging winds are also possible, along with a threat of tornado development.
According to the SPC, the main tornado threat will occur along the Mississippi River, with a 5% chance of tornado development in most of Illinois.
There are greater chances of large hail and gusty winds, according to those SPC models. Areas could also see heavy rain and frequent lightning with the storms, with some limited localized flooding possible as the storms push through.
Wednesday Morning:
The threat of severe weather will continue into Wednesday morning, but will be focused mainly on areas east of Interstate 55 and in northwest Indiana.
A “marginal’ risk of severe weather will exist in those areas, with the threat of heavy rain and gusty winds still present.
Areas in eastern Indiana are at a higher risk of severe weather through Wednesday morning and into the early afternoon.
Wednesday Afternoon:
The severe threat will wind down in the late morning and into the afternoon, but winds continue to be strong, gusting out of the west at 40 miles per hour or more.
Temperatures will still feel springlike, with highs in the 60s or perhaps in the low-70s in different areas.
Thursday:
A chance of showers still exists in the area, with temperatures continuing to slowly decline. Highs are still expected to be in the 60s, according to forecast models.
There is a chance of thunderstorm development in areas south of Interstate 80, but it is not expected for those storms to reach severe thresholds.
Be sure to stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest updates. Download the NBC Chicago app for severe weather alerts, live Doppler radar and many other weather tools ahead of the potential for severe storms.
