Stifling humidity expected today with damaging thunderstorms forecast later
A heat advisory is in effect from noon today through 8 p.m., with intense humidity levels expected to drive the heat index in most suburbs up to 110 degrees.
High temperatures today could reach into the upper 90s in some parts.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service bureau in Romeoville are then forecasting severe thunderstorms to arrive in the Chicago area later in the afternoon and early evening, producing strong winds with gusts up to 70 mph and the possibility of hail “up to one inch in diameter.”
A flash flood watch has been issued from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m. because of those storms that could produce as much as three inches of rain per hour.
The extended forecast calls for additional thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday, with more rain early Friday. Temperatures drop though, with highs only in the 80s most days, according to forecasts.