Tornado watch in effect for some counties, storms could bring hail

While the heaviest rains have moved out of the area, a tornado watch is in effect through 9 p.m. Monday for 39 Illinois counties, including Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties, according to the National Weather Service website.

The agency late Monday afternoon also warned of strong thunderstorms moving northeast along a line extending from Darien to near Sugar Grove with half-inch hail possible.

The possible affected areas include: Chicago, Aurora, Naperville, Elgin, Cicero, Arlington Heights, Evanston, Schaumburg, Bolingbrook, Palatine, Skokie, Des Plaines, Berwyn, Mount Prospect, Wheaton, Hoffman Estates, Oak Park, Downers Grove, Glenview and Elmhurst, according the website.

A weather observer near Midway Airport recorded 1.20 inches of rain in 19 minutes and another near Wheaton recorded 1.88 inches in less than one hour Monday, according to the weather service website.

The storm system has canceled 535 flights out of O'Hare International Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

Most residents retained power, although there were a few outages throughout the area due to downed trees and damaged power lines, according to ComEd.