The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for parts of Illinois, including Chicago and Cook County.
Scattered hail as large as tennis balls and wind gusts of up to 75 mph are possible, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. The tornado watch is in effect until 11 p.m.
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The potentially severe storms follow an unseasonably warm Friday. A chilly Saturday is expected following the storms.
Temperatures reached into the low 80s Friday. Winds are expected to grow increasingly breezy throughout the day, said Kevin Donofrio, a science and operations officer for the National Weather Service.
Donofrio added that average highs in mid-April usually hang around 60 degrees, so Friday is particularly warm.
“We’ve been in this kind of hot, humid and stormy pattern here,” Donofrio said.
Chicago suburbs in Cook and Lake counties prepare for Des Plaines River flood
But thunderstorms beginning around 8 p.m. will drop Saturday’s high into the low 50s, Donofrio said. The thunderstorms may give up to 1 to 2 inches of rain, and the areas receiving the highest amounts of rain will likely be those north and west of Chicago.
Friday night’s rains may exacerbate conditions in local rivers at risk of flooding, Donofrio said. Other rain showers have already caused water levels to rise during Chicago’s second-wettest spring on record.
The Des Plaines River is expected to crest — when the water reaches its highest point — over the weekend, potentially causing flooding from just east of O’Hare International Airport north to the Wisconsin border. As of Friday morning, the National Weather Service estimated the river will crest at about 9.4 feet in Gurnee, 14.5 feet in Lincolnshire and 16.5 feet in Des Plaines, causing minor to moderate flooding.
According to Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, the crest predictions factor in a half inch of rain that is expected Friday night. But if over that amount falls near the river, the crests could be greatly impacted.
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“There’s certainly a pretty broad range as to where the river could end up cresting,” Izzi said.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Chicago, Cook County, Lake County and other areas until late into the night.
Donofrio added that damaging winds and spin-up tornadoes are also possible Friday night due to the thunderstorms.
“Have a plan in place if a warning is issued for your area,” Donofrio said.