The first of two rounds of strong to severe showers and storms were moving into the Chicago area Tuesday morning as a line of thunderstorms moved from west to east.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, the first round of storms was set to move into Cook County between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
ILLINOIS WEATHER RADAR: Track strong to severe storms headed to Chicago area
Those storms were moving eastward around 45 miles per hour, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said. Roman added the storms could contain gusty winds, small hail, heavy rain and lots of lightning.
“They could definitely pack a punch this morning,” Roman said, though storms Tuesday morning were not expected to turn severe.
Around 9 a.m., both Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports had issued alerts due to thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. At O’Hare, a ground delay was issued through 9:45 a.m. At Midway, a ground stop was issued but lifted around 9:15 a.m.
As of 9:30 a.m., 66 O’Hare flights had been canceled, with average delays close to an hour, according to FlyChicago.com.
By 10 a.m., the first round of storms was expected to move out of Chicago and into Northwest Indiana, Roman said.
Between approximately 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., dry time was expected, Roman said. However, a second round of storms that carried a higher risk of turning severe was expected to arrive by 2 p.m. and last through the early evening.
Between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., much of the Chicago area will be under a “marginal” risk of severe weather, the National Weather Service said, which ranks as level one of five. However, parts of Kankakee, Cook and Will Counties in Illinois and parts of Northwest Indiana will be at a “slight” risk of severe weather, which ranks as level two of five.
During that window, damaging winds and damaging hail were expected, Roman said, adding that brief tornadoes were possible.
“All weather hazards will be at play,” Roman stressed, of the afternoon storms.
According to Roman, high temperatures Tuesday were expected in the mid 70s.
Wednesday: More storm chances
While much of Wednesday was expected to remain dry, the active weather pattern could continue Wednesday afternoon and evening, Roman said.
According to the National Weather Service, Wednesday’s storms also have the potential to turn strong or severe.
Temperatures Wednesday will see a wider range, with highs in the low 70s to low 80s, the NWS said.
Thursday, more rain chances return, forecast models show. Cooler temperatures are set to end the week, Roman said.