The Chicago area could see another round of bad weather late Saturday after two tornadoes tore through, downing trees and causing power outages for thousands.
Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in the morning hours as communities experienced heavy rainfall, strong winds and flooding. By 6 p.m., the rain had not abated everywhere, and several streets remained closed due to high water.
Parts of the Chicago area along the Illinois-Wisconsin border remain at “elevated risk” for severe weather as a storm system from Minnesota and Wisconsin moves southeast, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Showers and storms are expected to begin around 8:00 p.m., creating the possibility of isolated tornadoes, damaging winds up to 70 mph, and hail up to one inch in diameter.
As some Lake County communities saw extensive flooding, the National Weather Service issued a flood warning, saying “water levels above flood stage are imminent or may already occur” near or along the Des Plaines River.
A tornado likely touched down in south Naperville early Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. NBC 5’s Jen Desalvo reports.
As of 3:45 p.m., the river was at 11.1 feet. The river is expected to crest near 16 feet Sunday morning, which is one foot above flood stage. A flash flood warning remains in effect until further notice, according to the NWS.
The threat is not as severe in other nearby communities, although they too could see flash flooding.
Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, McHenry and Will counties in Illinois, as well as Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana, are under a flash flood watch from 7 p.m. through Sunday morning.
By midnight, according to NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologists, the first group of storms will roll in. But that won’t be the end of the rain.
More showers and storms are expected to develop in the early morning hours, moving in from the east around 5am and finally tapering off around 10am
Drier conditions will settle in over the coming hours, paving the way for a dry weather pattern over the coming days.
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