Chicago Weather: Severe Storms, Torrential Rain Come In Waves
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Severe weather Monday evening came in waves.
Multiple storm warnings were issued throughout the early evening. There were sightings of tornadoes southwest of the Chicago viewing area. Closer to home, the storms produced torrential rains and strong winds. Those storms moved out of Chicago by 10 p.m. and brought in cooler air overnight. On Tuesday, the clouds will linger, but no rain is expected for the White Sox-Astros playoff game.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Northwest Indiana just before 5 p.m. The warning covered Jasper, Porter and Newton counties until 5:45 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. A confirmed tornado was spotted in Marshall and Putnam County, north of Peoria. A tornado warning was in effect there until 5:30 p.m.
The Weather Service issued a tornado watch for dozens of counties in Illinois and five in northwest Indiana through 9 p.m.
According to CBS 2 meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist, the first wave of storms moved in late Monday afternoon, and the next one right behind it from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. A line of strong storms moved through NW Indiana, from Lake of the Four Seasons toward Valparaiso around 5:20 p.m. Another pocket of storms was spotted in Kankakee County. Another cell with strong rain and winds swept through Calumet City and Munster, Ind. around 5:20 p.m.
Another thunderstorm warning was issued for Ford, LaSalle and Grundy counties until 6:45 p.m. Then again, more storm warnings for DeKalb, LaSalle, Lee and Ogle counties. A tornado warning was issued for LaSalle County until 7 p.m.
Weather spotters in Valparaiso reported wind gusts of up to 57 miles per hour. A trained spotter reported a brief tornado touchdown--about 30 seconds--in LaSalle County around 6:30 p.m.
The next wave included a large line of heavy rain that was moving into the south and west suburbs at 35 miles per hour as of 7:20 p.m. While those storms had plenty of rainfall, the severity was diminishing as they moved northeast into the city and Indiana, according to a NWS notice issued around 8:15 p.m.
In Hyde Park, the rain caused streets to fill with water as fallen leaves clogged sewer drains. Power was lost in about 500 homes in Plainfield after power lines fell.
Before the waves moved in, clouds and stable rain kept the atmosphere controlled. But a vigorous upper-level wave moved through, bringing strong lift and gusty, southerly winds.
Radar signatures were "sneaky" because they didn't look all that impressive, but brief tornadoes had the potential to form.
TONIGHT: Low 59.
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Cooler. High 71.
WEDNESDAY: Chance of a storm. High 73.