Chicago area escapes severe weather Thursday night, skies clearing for Friday
The greater Chicago area escaped another round of severe weather Thursday evening, after early-morning thunderstorms woke many people up around the area.
The severe weather remained south of the Chicago area – with a strong storm system passing through Central Illinois and North Central Indiana before making its way to Ohio early Thursday evening.
Severe damage was seen in some areas downstate – including Findlay, Illinois in Shelby County southeast of Decatur. Campers were seen flipped over, and trees came down. Hail in the area looked like snow on the ground.
It was not clear late Thursday where the damage was caused by a tornado.
But tornado warnings were issued in parts of downstate Illinois Thursday night, and active tornado warnings and watches remained in place in southern Indiana, southern Ohio, and much of Kentucky.
An earlier tornado watch that has since expired covered 23 counties in central and southern Illinois – from Champaign, Danville, and Lincoln on the north to Carbondale on the south.
But the Chicago area was not affected, as the severe weather stayed to the south.
Look for lows in the mid- to upper 30s Thursday night, and clearing skies and dry weather for Friday. Brisk northwest winds behind a cold front will make for a chilly day Friday, with highs in the low to mid-40s near the lake and 50s inland.
Highs on Saturday will rebound to the mid- to upper 50s. After a quiet and seasonable Saturday, much colder air arrives Sunday into Tuesday along with gusty northerly winds.
Highs will be in the low 40s Sunday, and the area will be stuck in the 30s on Monday -- with a slight chance for snow flurries.
