Second day of dangerous storms coming for Chicago Thursday, with high tornado concerns
Thursday will be the second potentially dangerous severe weather day in a row in Chicago, with multiple rounds of storms possible from the late morning through the night.
The Chicago area has been upgraded to a Level 4 out of 5 risk for severe storms. The National Weather Service warns that the threat for tornadoes is notably higher Thursday than typical during severe weather events.
The first batch of storms could arrive around midday into the early afternoon, bringing the risk of damaging winds and large hail — especially north of I-80. The risk window for this first round of storms is between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The main concern comes later Thursday afternoon and evening as heat, humidity, and strong winds in the atmosphere combine to create an environment favorable for significant severe weather.
The worst storms are expected to develop to our west and move into the area between about 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. These storms have the potential to produce damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes.
The greatest risk for tornadoes is between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Thursday is a day to stay weather aware, keep a close eye on forecasts, and make sure to have multiple ways to receive warnings.
All this is happening on the heels of a day where storms wreaked havoc all around the Chicago area, pulling down trees and power lines and leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power.
ComEd has reported over 5,600 active outages as of Thursday morning, with nearly 200,000 customers impacted.
ComEd expected 80% of the outages to be restored by 11 p.m. this coming Saturday. Customers can check for alerts on the ComEd website.
Meanwhile, large trees came down all around the Chicago area. There were also reports of lightning striking a house in Orland Park, and strong winds tearing parts of a roof off a building in Stickney.
Conditions improve Friday with sunshine returning, as well as lower humidity. The nice weather continues into the weekend. There's an additional chance for thunderstorms late Saturday; those storms could turn severe with hail and wind as the main threats.
