Forecasters have issued a severe thunderstorm watch for northern Illinois ahead of storms bringing damaging winds and heavy rain early Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a severe thunderstorm watch around 7:30 p.m. Monday for the Chicagoland area.
The watch includes Lake, McHenry, Boone, DuPage, Winnebago, Cook, Kane, Ogle, DeKalb and Stephenson counties.
The watch said a line of thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and locally heavy rainfall is expected to track through a portion of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana late Monday into Tuesday.
The greatest potential for damaging winds will be near the Illinois-Wisconsin state line.
The winds could be capable of downing tree limbs and fences, the NWS said.
Torrential rainfall could result in flooding of low-lying and poor drainage areas.
Additional rounds of thunderstorms are possible late Tuesday afternoon and evening but significant uncertainty in storm development exists, the NWS said.
The morning storm timing and coverage will greatly influence the afternoon and evening storm potential in addition to high temperatures, the NWS added.