The weather system moving into the Chicago area late Friday holds the potential for tornadoes and other forms of severe weather, the National Weather Service said.
A tornado watch wouldn’t be issued until later Friday — if at all — depending on how weather conditions play out the rest of the day, meteorologist Jake Petr said. But weather could be severe.
Tornado watches are most often issued two to three hours before those specific weather conditions are expected, while a tornado warning would only be issued if a tornado is expected to form soon or has already formed.
The potential for tornadoes and severe weather threats are for 9 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday. The weather service recommends people ensure they have set up multiple ways to get weather alerts, especially ones that can wake a person up if they’ve gone to sleep.
Today will start off foggy, chilly, and with low clouds for many in the threat area… Don't let your guard down. Temperatures and humidity levels will rise rapidly after sunset. #ilwx #inwx https://t.co/RCT3tqKzsy
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 10, 2021
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Petr said an updated forecast can be expected Friday afternoon.
Friday started off with fog and colder temperatures with low clouds, but temperatures and humidity levels are expected to rise rapidly after sunset, the weather service said via Twitter.
Expect strong winds between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Petr said, with gusts up to 45 to 50 mph, especially Saturday morning.
Petr said while “not all that common,” it’s not unheard of for one or two winter systems to have potential for severe weather and tornado conditions during the late fall and early winter time frame.
He said a tornado was recorded on Dec. 1 three years ago in downstate Taylorville. , Closer to Chicago, tornadoes were recorded on three December dates since 1950: LaSalle County on Dec. 3, 1955; Jasper County, Indiana, on Dec. 8, 1966; and Iroquois County on Dec. 4, 1973.
Other recorded tornadoes in the area during the winter season were on Jan. 7, 2008, when a tornado made its way from Poplar Grove in Boone County to Harvard in McHenry County, and on Feb. 28, 2017, when a total of 10 tornadoes were confirmed across northern Illinois.