Forecasters Warn Severe Weather, Tornadoes Possible In Chicago Area This Week

ILLINOIS — Severe storms are possible on Thursday afternoon and evening for the Chicago area, and if they do develop, they could bring destructive hail, damaging winds and tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service said.

Record warmth is also possible Thursday, as a high of 93 is expected. According to weather service data, the record high for May 15 is 91 degrees, which was set in 1962.

Isolated to scattered storms could develop ahead of a cold front late Thursday afternoon, shifting east-northeast into Thursday evening, according to the weather service.

Timing of storms would be between 2 and 9 p.m. Thursday.

Little to no storms developing remains a plausible outcome, according to the weather service.

"Possible record warmth tomorrow will set the stage for potential strong to severe thunderstorm development in the afternoon and evening. Keep an eye on the weather tomorrow!" the weather service said on its Facebook.

In addition to the storms, there is a fire danger expected on both Thursday and Friday. The hot temperatures, dry conditions and high winds behind the cold front could bring a brief period of elevated fire danger on Thursday, and the warmth and winds could bring a "potentially significant" fire danger on Friday.

"Stay tuned for updates and consider altering outdoor burning plans Thursday and Friday," the National Weather Service said. The weather service said the increased threat of fire spread would mean that any grass or brush fires that ignite have the potential to quickly spread out of control.

The high for Friday is 89 degrees.

A look at the day-by-day forecast:

• Wednesday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 77. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 58. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Thursday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Breezy, with an east southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
• Thursday night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 65. Breezy, with a southwest wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
• Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 4pm. Sunny, with a high near 88. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
• Friday night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

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