Severe weather is impacting the Chicago area, with various warnings in effect. As of 3:45 p.m., approximately 28,000 customers in Northern Indiana are without power due to storms. Tornado Watches are ongoing in parts of Indiana but have been lifted for others, while severe thunderstorm warnings remain. Wind gusts have reached up to 81 mph in some locations. O’Hare Airport issued a ground stop due to the conditions. A Tornado Watch was in place for much of the Chicago area until 7 p.m., with damaging winds, large hail, and possible tornadoes expected, particularly southeast of I-55.
CHICAGO – Severe weather conditions are anticipated throughout much of the Chicago area this afternoon.
Fox 32 meteorologists are here to inform you about what to expect today.
3:45 p.m. – Power Outages in Indiana
Around 28,000 customers are experiencing power outages in Northern/Northwest Indiana as a result of Sunday’s severe weather, according to NIPSCO. A timeline for power restoration has yet to be determined. Tap here for further details.
3:55 p.m. – Tornado Watch Canceled for NW Indiana Counties
The Tornado Watch that was issued for Lake, Porter, Newton, and Jasper Counties in Indiana has been canceled. However, LaPorte County is still under the watch. The most intense storms are currently moving eastward.
3:40 p.m. – Power Outages in South Suburbs
Multiple power outages have been reported in the south suburbs of Chicago, including Tinley Park and Frankfort, following severe storms. For updates on the outages, click this link.
3:20 p.m. – White Sox/Chicago Stars on Rain Delays
The Chicago White Sox game against the Los Angeles Angels at Rate Field is currently delayed due to severe weather. Rain is expected to persist for another 30 minutes to an hour.
Additionally, the Chicago Stars match in Louisville is also on delay due to bad weather conditions.
3:15 p.m. – Tornado Watch for NE Illinois Canceled
As of 3:10 p.m., the Tornado Watch for Northeast Illinois has been canceled, although it remains in effect for NW Indiana.
3 p.m. – Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Porter County, Ind.
Porter County, Indiana is currently under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 3:45 p.m., with wind gusts potentially reaching 70 mph.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings continue for LaPorte County until 4 p.m., SE Jasper until 3:15 p.m., and NE Jasper until 3:45 p.m.
FOX 32 meteorologists reported a wind gust of 74 mph at Gary Airport and 81 mph at Valparaiso Airport during the peak of the storms.
2:45 p.m. – Ground Stop at O’Hare Airport
O’Hare International Airport has issued a ground stop due to severe weather, effective until 3:45 p.m. Sunday.
On average, flights are delayed by 45 minutes, according to the FAA.
2:30 p.m. – Tornado Warning
A Tornado Warning has been issued for Newton County and parts of Lake County, with signs of rotation observed near Peotone.
2:10 p.m. – Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Will and southern Cook counties are under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 3 p.m.
Severe storms over Manhattan and New Lenox are moving northeast at 55 mph, with gusts reaching up to 60 mph.
2:10 p.m. – Severe Thunderstorm Warning
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for southeastern Newton and Jasper counties until 3:15 p.m. due to winds of up to 70 mph.
The storms are rapidly advancing northeast at 75 mph.
1:50 p.m. – Severe Thunderstorm Warning
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for southeastern McHenry, Lake, and far northwestern Cook County until 2:30 p.m.
Potential wind gusts of up to 60 mph and penny-sized hail are expected.
1:15 p.m. – Tornado Watch Issued
A Tornado Watch has been announced for the majority of the Chicago area until 7 p.m., as stated by the National Weather Service.
The counties under this watch include Cook, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Livingston, and Will.
This watch also extends to certain areas in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan.
11 a.m. – Anticipated Conditions
- PEAK CONCERN TIMING: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday
- HAZARDS: Damaging winds (60-75mph), large hail (up to 2 inches in diameter), and tornadoes
- AREAS IMPACTED: All of Chicagoland, with the highest risk situated along and southeast of I-55
The Storm Prediction Center has labeled areas southeast of I-55 as being at “Enhanced Risk,” which is a level 3 of 5 on their severe risk scale. Locations near and along I-55 are under a “Slight Risk” (level 2 of 5), while portions in the northern and northwest areas of Chicagoland are designated as “Marginal Risk” (level 1/5).
What does this imply? All regions of Chicagoland face the threat of severe storms today, but the most significant risk is along and southeast of I-55.
The main concerns include damaging winds reaching up to 75 mph and large hail measuring up to 2 inches in diameter, along with the possibility of tornadoes.
Fox 32 Meteorologist Mike Caplan provided insights on a model from the Next Generation Weather Lab, indicating a more rapid moving system than was initially expected.
The line of storms is projected to hit the Chicago area around 2 p.m., but by approximately 3 p.m., it will already be moving into Indiana, heading east.
By about 4 p.m., the storm system is anticipated to have largely moved out of the Chicago area.
However, please ensure you have access to methods for receiving severe weather alerts.
If you have not done so yet, consider downloading our FOX 32 Weather App. This application will provide you with severe weather alerts to notify you if a warning has been issued for your area.
Timeline of Severe Storms
- 8:30 a.m. Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms make their way into LaSalle County.
- 9:45 a.m. Sunday: Storms arrive in Chicago, followed by a brief lull.
- 1:45 p.m. Sunday: A second wave of storms begins.
- 3 p.m. Sunday: A stronger line of storms sweeps through.
- 6 p.m. Sunday: Intense showers start to decrease, with a chance of snow as cooler air infiltrates.
- By early evening, the storm system will mostly clear out.