Storms expected south of Chicago overnight Thursday into Friday
CHICAGO (CBS) — A Weather Alert remains in effect overnight and again Friday for a couple more rounds of strong storms heading toward the greater Chicago area.
The most likely place for the storms to hit overnight is along and south of I-80, where the best moisture and instability have set up in the atmosphere.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of central and western Illinois until 3 a.m. In the CBS Chicago viewing area, LaSalle County is the only county under the watch.
As of 10 p.m., a severe thunderstorm system was moving over Southeast Iowa. It was moving eastward toward LaSalle and Grundy counties in Illinois, but was not expected to arrive there until midnight or 1 a.m. Friday.
The strong thunderstorms are a concern until 4 a.m. Friday, and some could produce hail and strong winds. At the very least, the affected areas will see heavy rain.
Farther north in and around the immediate Chicago area, temperatures did not get very warm—so the atmosphere lacked the energy seen farther south, thus diminishing the storm threat.
The low-pressure system responsible for these disturbances now appears to exit more slowly this weekend, leading to another round of scattered to numerous showers and storms on Saturday and a drier Sunday.
Tonight: Cloudy. Scattered strong thunderstorms. Low: 70
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy with strong storms, possibly late. High: 87
Saturday: Scattered rain and thunderstorms at times. Cooler. High: 79