The weather service has issued a tornado watch for Lake and McHenry counties as they warn about severe thunderstorms that are possible in the Chicagoland area Thursday evening.
The National Weather Service (NWS) on Thursday initially issued a tornado watch for portions of far northern Illinois, including McHenry and Winnebago counties.
The weather service expanded the watch to include Lake County and the rest of the Chicagoland area.
The watch is in effect until 10 p.m. Thursday due to damaging winds, damaging hail and tornadoes all being possible in the area.
The NWS also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Lake, McHenry, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, Will, DuPage, Boone, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Kankakee, Livingston, Iroquois and Ford counties.
The outlook said isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms will develop near the Interstate 39 corridor late Thursday afternoon and shift eastward across northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana early in the evening.
“Any storms that develop will be capable of producing destructive hail to 3 inches in diameter and damaging winds up to 80 mph,” the NWS said.
The outlook from the weather service showed a three out of five level for the threat of hail, wind and tornadoes.
Residents are urged to have multiple ways to get weather warnings and take shelter if a warning is issued.