Strong thunderstorms were seen moving through the northern Chicagoland area, with dark skies in the area of Route 83 and Winchester Road in Mundelein mid-afternoon Wednesday. | Photo: Lake County Passage

Forecasters have issued severe thunderstorm watches and warnings for Lake and McHenry counties as strong thunderstorms with damaging winds move through the area Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service (NWS) on Wednesday afternoon issued a severe thunderstorm watch in effect until 10 p.m. Wednesday.

The watch included Lake, McHenry, Will, Kane, Cook, DuPage, Kendall and several other surrounding counties.

The weather service later issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Lake, DuPage and Cook counties.

The NWS said early Wednesday morning that the next 48 hours looked stormy across the Chicagoland area.

The weather service issued severe thunderstorm watches and warnings for the Chicagoland area ahead of potential severe thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon into the evening. | Graphic: NWS Chicago

They warned of multiple waves of storms on Wednesday, with the first wave largely in the 2-7 p.m. window and having the highest threat to be severe with damaging to locally destructive winds.

Additional storms are expected after 7 p.m. but the coverage of severe intensity in the form of damaging windows could be lower than earlier in the day.

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“We are expecting a lull in storms after about midnight tonight. Tomorrow will feature additional rounds of severe thunderstorms in our area. The period of greatest concern will be during the afternoon and evening (roughly 3 to 9 PM) when intense thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes, damaging hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding may sweep across the area,” the NWS said.

Strong thunderstorms were seen moving through the northern Chicagoland area, with dark skies and rain in the area of Route 12 and Molidor Road in Volo mid-afternoon Wednesday. | Photo: Lake County Passage

“Now is the time to get prepared! Ensure you have multiple ways to get warning information and know where to shelter if a Tornado Warning is issued for your area. As always, we’ll provide updates as the forecast evolves,” the weather service added.

Severe storms began impacting the McHenry County area around 3 p.m. before moving into Lake County a short time later.

Fire departments across McHenry, Lake and Kane counties were being kept busy responding to emergency calls regarding downed wires, downed poles and downed trees in roadways.

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The NWS said the afternoon storms were capable of downing tree limbs and causing localized downpours. The most intense storms may produce destructive winds over 75 mph and tornadoes.

Ground stops were issued at Midway Airport and O’Hare Airport in Chicago around 3:45 p.m. due to the weather.