Thunderstorms with up to 60 mph winds are possible in areas of Chicago and northwest Indiana later Wednesday afternoon into the evening hours, weather officials said.
The National Weather Service issued a weather hazard Wednesday morning warning of possible thunderstorms in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. Storms weren’t seen in Chicago Wednesday morning, but officials said a cold front was possible in the afternoon. The front may bring a storm with up to 60 mph winds, up to a dollar-sized hail and a small chance of tornado development, officials said.
On Aug. 11, severe thunderstorms knocked out power in Illinois and Indiana. In Gary, residents were burdened with having no power for several days. That outage pulled community members together as they faced being in the dark for at least 10 days.
The greatest risk of Wednesday storms will be the afternoon after 4 p.m. into early evening near and east of Paxton up to Valparaiso, Indiana, with the strongest storms capable of damaging wind and large hail, officials expect. There is a limited risk for tornadoes once the cold front moves in.
Current conditions at O’Hare International Airport register as partly cloudy at 82 degrees. Conditions are the same at Midway Airport.
On Thursday and Friday, conditions are expected to be clear with temperatures of at least 75 degrees in the morning hours, dropping to the high 60s in the evening, officials said.