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EDITOR'S NOTE: Track strong to severe storms as they head to the Chicago area Wednesday here.
A series of tornado warnings were issued in Illinois and Indiana as powerful thunderstorms roared through the area.
Warm temperatures Wednesday were followed by waves of showers and severe storms, which brought ferocious winds, hail and several tornado warnings to the region.
A tornado watch that had been issued for the area was canceled at 8 p.m., but not before a series of powerful thunderstorms sparked multiple tornado warnings near Joliet, in central Will County, in eastern Kankakee County and in several parts of northwest Indiana.
It remains unclear if any tornadoes touched down in the area, with warnings issued throughout northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana, but wind gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour were recorded all over the area as storms roared through.
A semi-truck was flipped onto its side in suburban New Lenox, according to fire officials. There were no immediate reports of injuries connected to the incident.
A wind gust of 67 miles per hour was reported in Batavia, located in Kane County, at approximately 4:54 p.m.
A 54-mph wind gust was recorded in Morris at approximately 4:29 p.m., Grundy County officials said. In Streator, located in LaSalle County, a gust of 57 miles per hour was recorded with the storms.
Officials in LaSalle County warned that power lines had been knocked down and tree branches had snapped because of the powerful winds, leading to scattered outages.
Wind gusts of nearly 60 miles per hour were also reported in Will County and in Kankakee County, according to trained weather spotters. At least one wind gust of 71 miles per hour was reported in Park Forest.
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Power poles were also knocked over by the wind near Prince Crossing in West Chicago, police said.
[11:20 AM 3/19] Waves of showers and storms will move across the region into this afternoon. The severe threat through 1 PM remains fairly low, with mainly a threat for a few instances of nickel to quarter-sized hail. Additional storms later this afternoon may become severe. pic.twitter.com/GFgNPDwsno
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 19, 2025
By around 8 p.m., any lingering rain will gradually transition into snow showers, with snow expected to continue overnight.
Beginning at 10 p.m., a wind advisory will go into effect for all of northeast Illinois, with winds upwards of 45 miles per hour possible.
"Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result," the NWS warned, adding that "wind-whipped snow" Wednesday evening could lead to poor visibility and hazardous travel.
The first full day of astronomical spring will start out snowy and blustery, Roman said, with light snow expected to continue through around 6 a.m. Thursday.
By around 7 a.m., the system was expected to move out, leaving behind as much as two inches of snow for some.
Temperatures Thursday will start out in the 30s, Roman said, reaching into the 40s by afternoon. Friday, temperatures are slated to warm back up into the 50s, though they'll dip back down by Saturday.
