Chicago faces another round of severe storms, tornado threat intensifies

Chicago landed in the severe-weather bull’s-eye again Thursday, with National Weather Service forecasters warning that another round or two of storms could bring tornadoes, destructive winds and destructive hail across the region. The greatest threat was expected between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m., and officials said the danger was especially elevated along and north of Interstate 88, where a strong to intense tornado could not be ruled out.

The National Weather Service’s hazardous weather outlook put north central Illinois, northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana under a Level 4 of 5 damaging wind risk, with gusts up to 80 mph, and a Level 3 of 5 tornado risk. It also called for elevated flooding risk and said spotters would be needed as the storms developed. Weather service meteorologist Frank Pereira said the system was tied to a well-defined frontal boundary moving east, driven by cool Canadian air colliding with warm, humid air from the South.

The threat was not confined to the Chicago area. NBC News estimated that 92 million people were at risk for severe weather Thursday across two large corridors, from the Great Lakes to the Central Plains and from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast. That setup could produce wind gusts up to 75 mph, hail up to 2 inches in diameter and possible tornadoes in major cities including Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia and New York City. The weather service also said nearly 3 million people were under Flood Watches in parts of Iowa, Illinois and northeast Missouri through Friday.

The storms followed a damaging Wednesday outbreak that produced more than a dozen tornado reports across northern Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Illinois. Several hundred thousand homes and businesses lost power, and Chicago airports recorded more than a thousand flight delays and cancellations. In Des Moines, a 54-year-old man died after being struck by a tree at a homeless encampment. In Springfield, Illinois, the Animal Protective League shelter lost roofs on both buildings, but none of the nearly 150 cats or 28 dogs inside were injured.

Officials warned the instability could stretch beyond Thursday. The National Weather Service said severe weather could return again on Saturday, prolonging the strain on neighborhoods, transportation networks and utilities across a broad swath of the country.