Following multiple tornadoes that ripped through parts of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana on Thursday, another round of potentially strong to severe storms could arrive in the coming hours.
NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes noted the threat is significantly lower than earlier in the week, with Saturday’s storms under the marginal and slight risk categories, which are levels 1 and 2, as defined by the National Weather Service.
Downpours and gusty winds will be the primary threats on Saturday evening, especially south of Interstate 80. Jeanes did note a higher risk of stronger thunderstorms in western Illinois.
Locally, some thunderstorms could strengthen enough to produce damaging wind gusts over 60 miles per hour in the evening. However, Saturday isn’t expected to begin with storms.
The day will likely start out bright with low humidity before clouds increase in the afternoon.
A few thunderstorms could develop south of I-80 at around 2 p.m. While it’s not a guarantee the storms will fire up, a few could move through early on. Downpours, gusty winds and frequent lightning are all possible as storms arrive.
A chance of rain and thunderstorms will likely persist across the rest of the Chicago area, farther north of I-80, in the evening – with storms likely lingering for a while.
A chance of thunderstorms continues through the nighttime hours followed by scattered showers after midnight through early Sunday morning. Jeanes explained some showers could linger around 7 a.m. before partly sunny skies take hold.
Drier conditions are expected for the rest of the day before another chance of storms returns on Monday alongside noticeably cooler temperatures in the mid-70s.
