Tornado Watch for entire Chicago area as severe storms race east; tornadoes, funnel clouds reported northwest
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- A tornado watch has been expanded to cover the entire Chicago area, with multiple tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings in effect until late Friday evening across various counties.
- Two rounds of severe storms are expected, with the second round arriving around 8 p.m. bringing straight-line winds up to 70 mph, hail, flash flooding, and the highest tornado risk in the western suburbs between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- A tornado was reported in Lena, Illinois, causing damage to local schools while students were inside, and authorities are urging residents to avoid affected areas due to extensive storm damage.
- Flood watches and warnings are in place due to anticipated heavy rainfall of 1 to 3 inches, which may worsen existing flooding along the Des Plaines and Fox rivers, with flash flood warnings active until 2 a.m. Saturday in some counties.
- O'Hare International Airport has implemented a ground stop until 9:45 p.m., and ComEd is proactively staging crews to respond to power outages caused by the severe weather, advising the public to report downed power lines and outages promptly.
