After an already stormy morning, the Chicago area is under a threat of severe weather Wednesday, but what exactly you’ll see and when will depend on where you live.
Multiple rounds of storms are moving through the region throughout the morning and afternoon hours.
“We still have several hours of rain to go here,” NBC 5 Meteorologist Pete Sack said just before noon.
But as more storms make their way through the area, the threats for severe weather have changed.
MORE: Chicago-area residents asked to delay showers, use less water ahead of heavy rain
Originally, much of the Chicago area was under an “enhanced” risk for severe storms — a level three out of five, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
By noon Wednesday, the forecast had shifted, leaving the region under the lower “slight” risk for areas south and west of Chicago, and “marginal” for areas north, a level one out of five.
Still, several weather threats remain in play.
Here’s what to expect and when:
Active Severe Weather Alerts
This section will be updated throughout the afternoon and evening with severe weather alerts across the Chicago area. For the latest alerts in your area, check our alerts page here.
Storm Timing
Early afternoon
After an earlier morning band of heavy rain and storms, another line of lightning-producing storms made their way across the area, particularly south and west of Chicago.
Waves of rain were expected to continue, with the largest threat for severe weather sitting in the early afternoon hours. Damaging winds, large hail, isolated tornadoes and heavy rainfall are all possible.
Temperature reading sat in the low-40s just before noon, but a dramatic shift was expected in the coming hours.
At 12 p.m., a wind advisory took effect in LaSalle, Grundy, and Kankakee Counties in Illinois and Newton County Indiana, according to the National Weather Service.
2 p.m.
By 2 p.m., radar projections show storm cells beginning to break up, which could indicate a larger threat for damaging storms.
“When [storms] become a little bit more isolated, there’s the better chance for severe weather popping its way on in,” Sack said.
This is expected to continue through at least 4 p.m., longer for areas south of Chicago and into northwest Indiana.
The National Weather Service said it had “high confidence” parts of the northwest Indiana region would see “60 to 75 mph damaging winds.”
“Embedded tornadoes will also be possible, with the best chances for a strong tornado (EF-2+) along and south of US-24. Stay weather aware!” the agency wrote on social media.
Temperatures are expected to warm to near 70 degrees in those locations, though areas north likely won’t see temperatures rise quite so high.
“Repeated rounds of storms over the same areas may also lead to localized flooding of poor drainage and low lying areas,” the National Weather Service warned.
Additional rounds of showers and storms this afternoon. Some could be strong to severe, especially across east central Illinois into western Indiana! The threat of widespread severe has diminished some across northern Illinois, especially north of I-88. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/ieUTFxLppi
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) April 2, 2025Evening
The storms are expected to clear out by the evening and overnight hours. The threat for potentially severe storms looks to move out of the area by 7 p.m. CT.
Remainder of the week
While there is a chance for some showers again Thursday, particularly south of Interstate 80, another chance for storms moves in again Friday evening.
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