A Severe Thunderstorm Warning and Safety Guidelines are the best way to protect your family from dangerous conditions such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, strong winds, and flash floods.
Even with the addition of two new counties to the monitoring area, severe weather is still probable in the Chicago region on Tuesday night.
In the Illinois counties of McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Cook, Kendall, and Will as well as Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, a severe thunderstorm watch is still in place until midnight.
The LaSalle and Grundy counties were added to the watch area late on Tuesday, and the warning was extended until midnight.
Forecast models predict that the swiftly approaching storms will bring strong gusts and lots of rain.
Although earlier severe thunderstorm warnings in the counties of McHenry, Kane, DuPage, and Cook were permitted to lapse over the evening, storms are still moving across the area at this time, bringing with them strong winds and heavy rain.
McHenry County received a short tornado warning, but it was revoked after about 15 minutes.
The second wave of storms, which are anticipated to arrive around 8 p.m. Tuesday, are predicted to bring severe winds, with some gusts possibly topping 75 miles per hour, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Both sets of storms are also forecast to produce heavy rain, which could cause flooding in regions that were already quite soggy from the rain on Monday.
After 10 p.m., severe winds with potential wind gusts above 75 mph will pose the biggest hazard from those storms, according to authorities. In the affected areas, that may result in considerable tree and power line damage, with the most of that damage anticipated to happen to the west and southwest of the city of Chicago.
Recognize severe weather warnings
Do you understand the distinction between a Severe Thunderstorm Watch and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued by the National Weather Service? Below is a knowledge test.
Be ready for the severe thunderstorm watch! In and around the watch area, powerful thunderstorms are probable. If a warning for a severe thunderstorm is issued, be informed and be prepared to take action. Typically, the monitoring region is vast, encompassing many counties or even whole states.
Take Action: Severe Thunderstorm Warning! Radar or spotters have reported or suggested severe weather. The presence of warnings indicates a hazard to people and property. Find a large structure to hide in. Leave mobile houses that might flip over in strong winds. Large hail or damaging winds may affect a much smaller region (about the size of a city or small county) that has been spotted by a NWS forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter/law enforcement who is keeping an eye on the storm.
Safety Guidelines for Severe Thunderstorms
Following the definitions and recommendations below can help to keep you and your family safe.
People in and around the watch region should keep an eye on the sky, listen to their NOAA weather radio all times, or turn to local broadcast media for further weather information. A severe thunderstorm watch is issued when the circumstances are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms. The watch is designed to give you more time to review safety procedures and get ready.
When a severe thunderstorm has been identified by the national weather service's doppler radar or when a trustworthy report has been received, a severe thunderstorm warning is issued. Typically, a warning is given for an hour or fewer for a region of one or two counties. You should act quickly to safeguard both your life and the lives of others if the warning applies to your neighborhood or place of employment. Large hail and destructive winds can be produced by severe thunderstorms. Severe thunderstorms may and do occasionally include tornadoes. By taking the appropriate safety measures, treat this alert as you would a tornado warning.
Staying inside a strong structure or shelter that can shield you from deadly lightning, big hail, destructive winds, flooding rain, and tornadoes is your greatest line of protection against thunderstorms. Fortunately, thunderstorms seldom last more than an hour and will usually pass by your area in under an hour.
Once inside a shelter, keep away from windows and steer clear of plumbing and electrical systems. Please bring your dogs inside. If time permits, secure unsecured things outside since they frequently turn into hazardous flying debris in strong winds.
Outdoor activities should be postponed until the storm has passed.
If trapped outside, seek quick refuge within a reliable covered structure or a hardtop vehicle. Avoid high terrain, metallic things, open areas, and solitary objects.
Get off boats and stay away from waterways. Keep in mind that if you can hear thunder, the storm is close enough for lightning to strike you.
Immediately enter the lowest level basement of your shelter if a tornado is seen, and build as many barriers as you can between yourself and the outside.
