Chicago Weather Alert: Severe weather hits area

The National Weather Service has canceled a tornado watch that originally had been in effect through 4 p.m. for LaPorte County, Indiana.

At least two tornados touched down in Illinois on Tuesday during two rounds of severe storms that blew through the state.

In central Illinois, a tornado hit the town of Bryant on Tuesday, bringing widespread damage to homes and businesses.

Bryant is about 30 miles southwest of Peoria. The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday night that a tornado hit Bryant earlier in the day.

A number of people found themselves heading for shelter, and later came out from hiding to the storm damage.

"I was in Bryant, babysitting my grandchildren, and they said take cover. We went to the basement. We come out, and got somebody's shed in our yard, and we walked uptown, and we're helping pass out water and stuff. There's a lot of damage here in Bryant," Diana Pasley said.

Donald J. Brown said he heard the twister coming.

"It was just bawlin' and squallin'" he said. "And after it hit, stuff was flying around my kitchen. My windows were knocked out."

He and his wife ended up with a tree limb and siding inside their house.

"This is the worst we've seen it," he said. "Lucky the whole house is still standing."

Fire crews said several people were hurt, but it's not clear how many, or how badly.

Emergency crews said the storm damaged everything from homes to barns and vehicles. They're working to assess all of the damage as they work to make sure everyone's accounted for.

National Weather Service teams will be out on Wednesday to survey the damage and determine how strong the tornado was.

Officials said another tornado touched down Tuesday morning in the western Illinois community of Colona, about 80 miles northwest of Peoria.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-2 tornado hit Colona.

Among the damage, the roof of a Shell gas station was completely ripped off.

The National Weather Service has issued Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for Newton, La Porte, and Jasper counties until 9:45 a.m. 

LSSU's campus will be closed due to severe weather, the university said Wednesday.

All campus buildings will be closed, however, dining services will still be available. 

The campus will reopen on Thursday. 

The FAA has issued ground stops for incoming flights at O'Hare and Midway airports due to the weather.

Departures to O'Hare are grounded at least through 9:15 a.m.

Departures to Midway are grounded at least through 9:30 a.m.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Porter County, Indiana until 8:45 a.m.

A Tornado Watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for La Porte County, Indiana until 4 p.m. EDT. 

Stay tuned to CBS Chicago for the latest on severe weather.

The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for La Porte County, Indiana until 9 a.m. EDT. 

CBS 2's Jackie Kostek is reporting live from the Mobile Weather Lab. 

She shared videos of dark clouds moving rapidly over Aurora. 

At last check, there are 131 confirmed outages and 3,509 customers affected due to severe storms as of Wednesday morning.

Customers can view the outage map by visiting the link here. 

Information on the map is updated every 15 minutes. 

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Cook, Lake counties in Illinois until 7:30 a.m.

Metra train service on some lines has been impacted due to weather warnings and alerts. 

Metra UP-NW inbound and outbound train movement has been halted between Harvard and Crystal Lake due to tornado warnings. 

Other Metra UP-NW trains are delayed due to high wind. 

Metra BNSF trains are delayed due to high winds. 

Delays are expected. 

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for Lake, Porter counties in Indiana until 7:30 a.m. 

The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Kane and Kendall counties until 7 a.m. 

Tune in for the latest:

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/live/

The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for De Kalb County, IL until 6:45 a.m.

Stay tuned with Meteorologists Laura Bannon and Ed Curran this morning for the latest. 

A tornado watch is in effect for most of the area. 

CBS 2's meteorologist Laura Bannon will provide updates as storms develop. 

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued until 6 a.m. for Lake and Porter counties in Indiana.

A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for LaPorte County until 7:15 a.m.

High winds and hail are expected. 

Heavy rain is coming down near O'Hare. 

CBS 2's Jackie Kostek is reporting live from the Mobile Weather Lab as we continue to monitor the severe weather watch in effect for most of the area.

Damaging winds of 65 miles per hour, hail and tornadoes are the biggest threat. 

Morning storm threat then a cool down. Storm develops throughout the morning, once past sunrise there is a severe weather threat for large hail, wind to 60mph, and a brief spin-up tornado. 

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued until 11:00 a.m. CDT for the following areas:

Illinois - La Salle, Kankakee, Grundy, Will, De Kalb, Cook, DuPage, McHenry, and Lake. 

Indiana - Newton, Lake Jasper, Porter County.

The best window for potentially severe weather is from now until noon, focus in the late morning then shifts to south of Chicago and Northwest Indiana. 

Turning cooler in the late day, a wind advisory goes into effect from 7 am until 4 pm with gusts of 50 to 60mph. Clouds clear late tonight giving way to sunshine tomorrow. 

Noticeably colder by morning in the 30s. Highs in the 50s for the rest of the week. Warmer Easter weekend with a chance for rain late Sunday into Monday.   

The final round of severe weather over the past 24 hours will occur between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday. 

Commuters should expect major impacts with the threat of tornadoes, very large hail and damaging winds for much of the morning hours.

After 1 p.m., expect clearing skies and cooling temperatures. 

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Kane County, Kendall County, and DeKalb County through 10 p.m.

The storm system is moving northeast at 50 mph, bringing 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-sized hail.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for LaSalle County. The warning is in effect until 9:30 p.m.

High winds have also been reported in LaSalle and other western collar counties.

CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon said the storm is capable or producing 60 mile per hour winds and quarter-size hail. No tornado threat is associated with this system.

Ramon added the atmosphere is starting to stabilize so the system may not make it all the way to the city of Chicago. Temperatures are a bit cooler closer to the city.

The severe weather threat for the area is expected to end after 11 p.m. tonight, but another round of storms could come through Wednesday morning.

A threat of high winds up to about 50 miles per hour were reported for parts of Kendall, DeKalb, LaSalle and Grundy counties until around 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service says no threat of hail was expected, but that residents should seek shelter in a sturdy structure.

A track of severe thunderstorms is making its way from the western part of the state northeast toward the Chicago area. CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon says the system, at its current speed, is expected to hit our viewing area around 8 p.m. in Ottawa in LaSalle County.

That would put it on track to to arrive in Chicago around 9:30 p.m.

The atmosphere in the Chicago region is quite unstable, meaning the thunderstorms in the area could get severe quickly. Damaging wind and large hail are the most potentially harmful effects of the storm tonight.

Two more rounds of severe weather are in the forecast, according to CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon.

The first will be between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. this evening. Storms that do develop could produce very large hail and damaging winds. Isolated tornadoes are possible, but this is a secondary threat.

The final round of severe weather will occur between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday. Plan on major impacts to your morning commute with the threat of tornadoes, very large hail and damaging winds for much of the morning hours. After 1 p.m., we expect a clearing sky and cooling temperatures.

Dry and cooler for the end of the workweek, then warming back to the 60s this Easter Weekend.

La Grange Park firefighters were called for a tree down and a power pole split in half after the round of storms Tuesday afternoon.

La Grange Park Fire Chief Dean Maggos said the tree pulled down a pole that had a corner streetlight mounted to it at 30th Street and Meadowcrest Road. A second streetlight was also damaged along 31st Street.

Maggos said it got dark quickly and winds became substantial as the storm quickly moved through.

With more severe weather expected Tuesday night, Maggos warned that people must be prepared.

"Just always keep an eye on the media, listen to alerts, take a look at what they're forecasting. It could change quickly," Maggos said. "Obviously, if there's strong winds – even if it's not at a tornado warning yet, but there are very strong winds – be prepared to take shelter. Obviously, lower level of your home if f you have it – otherwise, an inside room of your home."

Meanwhile near the Eisenhower Expressway at 1st Avenue in Maywood, a freelance videographer captured a large residential garbage can whizzing past the camera due to the strong winds.

Another round of severe thunderstorms is possible for the Chicago area starting around 7 p.m. until around midnight, according to CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon.

Models show the biggest concern will be large hail, similar to what the region saw earlier on Tuesday afternoon. The storm system was near Quincy, Illinois in the western part of the state a little before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

There will be a bit of a lull after midnight, but starting around 5 a.m. on Wednesday, there is another chance for severe thunderstorms through around 1 p.m.

CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest forecast for more potential rain moving into the Chicago area Tuesday evening between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

There is also a chance of severe storms for the morning commute on Wednesday morning.

The Fire Department reported when a localized, but high-wind-force storm passed through the city from the west, their crews responded to significant roof damage at three locations.

Roof damage was reported at the building at 4556 W. Grand Ave. just northwest of the intersection with North Avenue. REB Storage Systems International is listed at that address.

Damage was also reported about nine blocks southeast at 3659 W. Grand Ave. – at the intersection with Division Street and Monticello Avenue, and on Wells Street between Eugenie Street and North Avenue in Old Town – near the Americana Towers high-rise condo building.

The Fire Department reported power poles and trees were also taken down or damaged. There were no reports of injuries.

Storms have mostly cleared out of the Chicago area as the Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were set to expire at 3 p.m.

Still, CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon will be monitoring the weather again for potential storms starting in the 6 p.m. hour. The exact nature of that weather is unclear at this time.

With the first round of storms moving out of Illinois, ComEd is reporting 7,561 power outages across northern Illinois as of 2:45 p.m., out of more than 4 million customers served.

Most of those outages are in Cook County, where there were 6,187 power outages as of 2:45 p.m., accounting for fewer than 5% of ComEd's customers in Cook County.

In Chicago alone, there were 3,658 power outages, and in Oak Park, there were another 1,805 outages.

CBS 2 viewer Brett Steinbeck sent a picture of hail covering his backyard in West Aurora

During the first round of storms Tuesday afternoon, blinding, wind-driven rain pelted Prospect Heights.

On Wolf Road south of Palatine Road, the train led to some flooding.

Expect a very slow drive home Tuesday afternoon in the wake of this latest round of severe storms.

CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon is tracking the storms bringing hail and high winds. There is a Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 3:00 p.m. for Cook and Lake County.

CBS 2's Noel Brennan reports from Sandwich and finds golf ball-sized hail at Edgebrook Golf Club. (No word on whether he repaired the ball mark.) 

CBS 2 meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist is following the storm system that's bringing intense winds along with rain and hail.

This spikey hailstone landed in Park Ridge as the storms moved through Tuesday afternoon.

CBS 2's Charlie De Mar was in the Mobile Weather Lab on Tuesday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm and hail were hitting Chicago's North Side and Evanston.

Hail falling in the Chicago suburbs.

CBS 2 meteorologists Albert Ramon, Mary Kay Kleist and Ed Curran are tracking the storm systems covering the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs, including DuPage County.

CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon is following a Cook County Weather Alert that includes a Severe Thunderstorm Warning that goes until 2:30 p.m. 

CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon is following the Severe Thunderstorm Warning that continues through at 2:30 p.m.

It's for Lake County in northeastern Illinois, northeastern Kane County in northeastern Illinois, McHenry County in northeastern Illinois and northern Cook County.

At 1:00, according to the National Weather Service, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Woodstock to Elgin, moving northeast at 30 mph.

You can expect hail, some damage to roofs, siding, windows and vehicles as well as tree damage. Wind damage is likely to
mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

Some of the areas impacted include Chicago, Elgin, Waukegan, Arlington Heights, Evanston, Schaumburg, Palatine, Skokie, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Hoffman Estates, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Bartlett, Crystal Lake, Streamwood, Hanover Park, Carpentersville, Wheeling and Park Ridge.

CBS 2 viewer Michael Farinella sent in a photo of large hail that dropped in west suburban Oswego Tuesday afternoon.

A significant thunderstorm system with the potential for large hail and strong winds is sweeping through the Chicago region.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for northern sections of Cook County, all of Lake County and much of McHenry County.

CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon said the approaching thunderstorm is capable of considerable damage with two large threats, large, potentially golf ball-sized hail and winds up to 70 miles per hour.

The National Weather Service said the warning will be in effect until around 2:30 p.m.

CBS 2 meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has more on the moving storm system that includes fierce winds, coupled with the thunderstorms and reports of hail.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Kane, McHenry and DeKalb counties starting around 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday.

CBS 2 meteorologist Ed Curran says there are a number of severe thunderstorm warnings and watches covering the Chicago area and northwest Indiana.

CBS 2 is live covering the severe weather, which will include hail and elevated thunderstorms and a potential round of thunderstorms for the afternoon.

CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon is live covering the severe weather, which will include hail and elevated thunderstorms and a potential round of thunderstorms for the afternoon.

CBS 2 meteorologist Ed Curran says there are a number of severe thunderstorm warnings and watches covering the Chicago area and northwest Indiana. 

CHICAGO (CBS) -- There is a  Severe Thunderstorm Watch from now until to 3:00 p.m. for La Salle, Cook,  DeKalb, DuPage, DuPage, Kane, Kankakee, Grundy, Kendall, Will counties as well as Lake County, Indiana.

The cities under the watch include: Aurora, Bolingbrook, Bourbonnais, Carol Stream, Chicago, Downers Grove, Elgin, Evanston, Gary, Hammond, Joliet, Kankakee, La Salle, Lemont, Lombard, Merrillville, Naperville, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Park Forest, Schaumburg and Wheaton.

A severe storm will pass through areas north and northwest of Chicago over the next 2 to 3 hours. Large hail looks to be the main threat.  

This afternoon/evening remains a wildcard as far as the levels of severe weather are concerned. Models have been backing off on coverage since last night.

Finally, there is growing concern about Wednesday morning/midday for the risk of tornado warnings and storms with large hail. 

Tuesday will be a warm and humid day with temperatures in the mid 60s. The first round of storms arrive between 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Higher risks for severe weather along and east of I-55, according to the National Weather Service. 

Storms could produce wind gusts exceeding 60 miles per hour.    

The next round of severe storms develop between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Strong winds, flooding and tornado risks pose the biggest threats Tuesday. 

Another round of storms arrive early Wednesday before tapering off. Storms could be severe. 

By Tuesday morning, expect areas of light rain or drizzle, with temperatures in the low 40s.

The first round of storms for Tuesday are expected between noon and 4 p.m.. Scattered storms will move from west to east and could be severe. 

A secondary round of storms is expected between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. These storms could also be severe. 

The greatest threat will come from damaging straight-line winds, as storms could produce wind gusts exceeding 60 miles per hour. A secondary, but elevate threat comes from storms producing tornadoes and very large hail.  

The last round of storms is expected Wednesday morning between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., as a cold front moves through the area.