Back down to thunderstorm watch until 3 a.m.
A severe thunderstorm watch continues for all of northern Illinois through 3 a.m., as the same weather system that spawned a deadly tornado near Oklahoma City moves through the area.
A severe thunderstorm warning for much of the suburban area expired at midnight, with lightning, thunder and strong winds hitting especially DuPage and Will counties.
The watch means a likely chance for gusty winds, heavy rain and the potential for hail.
“There’s a large area of storms stretching back to central Missouri with the potential for some sort of activity that could keep going for the next several hours,” National Weather Service meteorologist Richard Castro said before the storms arrived in the Chicago area. “There could be some severe threats for the next several hours, as well as torrential downpours and lightening is a definite hazard.”
Counties under the thunderstorm watch include Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Henry, Iroquois, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago.