Chicago area faces increasing threat of severe weather, including large hail, tornadoes

The National Weather Service says the Chicago area is at an increased risk for severe weather Thursday, with all hazards in play for storms that develop.

According to the latest guidance from the Storm Prediction Center, most of the Chicago area is at an “enhanced risk” of severe storms, the third of five levels used by the SPC to describe severe weather risk.

A small portion of the area, including McHenry and Lake counties in Illinois and far northern DeKalb, Kane and Cook counties, is at a “slight risk,” one rung below that level.

All severe weather threats are on the table in the affected area, including damaging hail, gusty winds and a threat of tornadoes, some of which could be strong.

The concern is that supercell thunderstorms could form, allowing for large vertical development of hailstones that could be two inches or more in diameter. Those cells could also lead to tornadic activity, with the threat area spread across Chicago and the western and southern suburbs.

Damaging wind gusts could also occur with storms, according to forecast models.

After a warm day with temperatures in the 70s or even the 80s across the area, showers and storms are expected to begin moving into the area in the late afternoon and early evening. The primary focus for the first wave will be in the northern portions of the Chicago area, with a front sweeping toward the southeast and impacting more suburbs in the late evening.

As that front passes through the area temperatures are expected to rapidly drop, with those readings falling from the 70s into the 30s and 40s by the time the front moves out.

Friday will see highs in the 40s across the area, but temperatures are expected to warm again quickly, with highs in the 50s on Saturday and potentially reaching back into the 60s by Sunday.

Be sure to download the NBC Chicago app for real-time weather alerts sent directly to your phone, and for live radar to show where storms are developing as things get fired up on Thursday.