Significant severe thunderstorms are expected to hit the Midwest and Great Lakes region on Monday evening, with Chicago being at the center of the most serious storm risk. Thunderstorms capable of producing wind gusts over 75 mph and a few tornadoes are forecasted to develop rapidly in central or eastern Iowa around 6 p.m., then quickly race eastward toward Illinois and Indiana. The atmosphere will contain low-level vorticity, which could foster short-lived tornadoes on the leading edge of the squall line.
Chicago experienced severe storms on Sunday night, with wind gusts around 60 mph at Midway Airport and 70 mph at DuPage Airport. Numerous large tree limbs and a few trees went down in downtown Chicago, resulting in a tornado warning until 11 p.m.
The storms on Monday could be even more intense than Sunday's, with some storms forecasted to produce hail up to golf-ball size before consolidating into a squall line with damaging winds. There is an outside chance the squall line becomes a derecho, producing widespread 60 mph gusts and a few gusts over 80 mph that travel at least 400 miles.
The Midwest and Great Lakes region have been experiencing severe weather for the past few days, with reports of tornadoes in Barney, North Dakota, major damage south of Chicago, and wind gusts as strong as a Category 2 hurricane in South Dakota. The interior Northeast is also at risk on Tuesday.
Stay tuned for updates on severe weather conditions and power outages from various counties including Racine, Walworth, Waukesha, Jefferson, Kenosha and Milwaukee in southeastern Wisconsin. We will provide you with the latest information as it becomes available.
