Severe storm risk from evening into overnight for Chicago area

[00:00:00]clear right now, but we could see severe storms tonight.

[00:00:02]>> Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon is here with a new timeline on those storms.

[00:00:06]Albert?

[00:00:06]>> Yeah, let's track this out for you. We have actually a frontal boundary out here towards the northn northwest of us is prompted here in yellow. Tornado watches for portions of Iowa and also in Wisconsin. A couple of tornado warnings in the last couple of minutes. Also in places like northern Wisconsin, central areas of Iowa. And this is a frontal boundary headed this direction. And that's why we're tracking that chance of some severe weather later on this evening. So, here's the latest timeline.

[00:00:29]The big window here, 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. with a few rounds of thunderstorms rolling in. The atmosphere is buoyant.

[00:00:36]It's unstable. It's hot. It's humid. So, the ingredients are there for some thunderstorms coming in with a damaging wind and even an isolated tornado threat. On top of all of that, we're still tracking wildfire smoke now through about Thursday, a window for at least unhealthy for sensitive groups air quality because of the wildfire smoke.

[00:00:53]if there's any good news with the forecast this week. At least we have some cooler temperatures below average.

[00:00:57]Temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s by the middle part of the week. So, cold front is on the way. That's the focus for scattered showers and thunderstorms. There's a cluster of weak storms approaching Rockford right now.

[00:01:07]Those are headed towards places like Dow County over the next about hour to hour and 15 minutes. Out ahead of the front, upper 70s and low 80s. We are looking at a clear but hazy sky here in Chicago in the south suburbs and most the area under a level two out of five on the severe weather scale. Notice though up towards the far northwestern suburbs, places like northern Dicab County, Boone County, Mckenry County, you're under an enhanced risk, level three out of five on the severe weather scale. And it'll be in the far northwest suburbs with the overall greatest risk of severe weather here for tonight. Our main concern, straight line damaging winds. Can't rule out a couple of storms producing wind gusts upwards of 60, 65, even 70 mph.

[00:01:45]And as this first initial line comes in, there's enough spin in the atmosphere that the northwestern suburbs got to keep an eye on a quick spin-up tornado.

[00:01:52]Hail threat's pretty small and these storms will be on the move. So not much of a flash flood threat, even though a few pockets of an inch plus it's going to be possible just for tonight, but not for everyone. It all depends on where these storms are going to set on up. So hourby hour forecast, there you see the brown shading. That's the area of haze with the wildfire smoke. First round of thunderstorms comes in early this evening. This particular model saying even at midnight, we got some big thunderstorms on the Doppler radar continuing till about 2 a.m., but we're dry as we head into tomorrow morning.

[00:02:19]And notice the haziness. So, another round of smoke is in the forecast for tomorrow, for Wednesday, into Thursday.

[00:02:26]A mainly dry forecast after tonight's rainfall for the next several days. But I did want to show you our air quality forecast. At the very least, we're going to be in the orange. That's unhealthy for sensitive groups today, tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday. A little bit more fresher but more humid air out of the south comes in on Friday and Saturday.

[00:02:44]So we're looking at moderate, may even have good air quality for some of us as we head towards the latter part of the work week and first half of the weekend.

[00:02:50]So weather alert in place for tonight with a chance of thunderstorms that could be severe 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. That's the window. But additional weather alerts posted for bad air quality the next couple of days. We'll even have some patchy areas of lingering smoke and 80° on Thursday. But then some fresher air Friday and Saturday. Highs will be beginning to build once again. Quick preview of the weekend. Looks hot. Upper 80s and low 90s for your Saturday and Sunday.

[00:03:12]>> Okay, Albert.