Thunderstorms with lightning, small hail and torrential rains battered parts of the Chicago area Tuesday night and overnight, and some people in the Chicago area woke up Wednesday morning to rainy, wet conditions with downed trees and branches.
Another round of showers and storms is expected Wednesday, according to NBC 5 Storm Team.
“Persistent storms in northern Illinois will continue to move southward through the evening,” the National Weather Service said Tuesday night in The X. “These storms could produce gusty winds and small hail, as well as frequent lightning and heavy rain, which could cause localized Flash floods.”
Tuesday night's storm resulted in particularly high rainfall amounts in McHenry County, with up to 2.5 inches falling in Woodstock, NBC 5 meteorologist Alicia Roman reported. Further west, residents in Garden Prairie received up to 5.6 inches of rain, Roman said.
More: La Niña could affect fall and winter weather in Illinois, here's why
Rain has continued on Wednesday morning, with scattered showers expected throughout the morning. The rest of the region will be mostly dry and cloudy, Roman said.
But showers and storms are expected to return to southern counties by about 1 p.m., Roman said.
“Grundy, Kankakee, Will, northwest Indiana,” Roman said of the counties expected to see rain at the time.
Roman said Chicago could see isolated showers or storms by about 4 p.m. Rain is expected in southern Cook County around 6 p.m., followed by evacuations.
Counties south of Chicago face a “marginal” risk of severe weather Wednesday, which ranks as a level five on the Storm Prediction Center's severe weather scale, according to Roman.
“Heavy rain and gusty winds will remain the main threat this afternoon,” Roman said.
Temperatures on Wednesday will be slightly below average, with highs expected to reach 80 degrees at O'Hare Airport. In Chicago, highs are only expected to reach the 70s, Roman said.
Roman said Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be drier and sunnier, with highs in the 70s and 1980s. By Sunday, the forecast is for another rain, higher humidity, and warmer temperatures that will approach 90 degrees for several days.
