Two rounds of strong to severe storms are set to move into the Chicago area Wednesday, with golf ball-sized hail, destructive winds up to 80 mph and even strong or intense tornadoes possible in some parts and “torrential” rainfall expected all day across all of northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.
The storms come as cleanup from last week’s severe weather outbreak continues, with the National Weather Service saying more than a dozen tornadoes touched down and many still without power.
The first round of rain and storms will hit during the morning commute, NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologist Alicia Roman said. The second and possibly stronger round expected through the afternoon and evening rush hour.
Early Wednesday morning, Live Doppler 5 Radar showed strong storms to the west over Iowa and moving east.
Round 1
Light showers were expected to make their way into the Chicago area starting about 8 a.m., Roman said. By about 11 a.m., heavy rain will be widespread, with as much as two inches of rain or more falling per hour.
“All areas of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana are at risk for torrential rain rates, which can lead to flash flooding today,” the NWS warned.
All areas of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana are at risk for torrential rain rates, which can lead to flash flooding today. #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/3bL07WOwLL
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) June 17, 2026The heavy rain will last throughout the morning, Roman said, though there could be an afternoon window where the rain tapers before stronger storms move in. For that round, “all weather hazards” were possible, with the entire Chicago area under threat of severe weather.
Round 2
The second round of storms starts about 2 p.m., Roman said, with “clusters of supercells” possible.
By about 5 p.m., storms were expected to stay to the south and in northwest Indiana. Storms were expected to come to an end by about 8 or 9 p.m., Roman said.
Severe weather map: What areas will see the worst of the weather
The Storm Prediction Center has placed the entire Chicago area under some threat of severe weather Wednesday, with counties to the south, central Illinois and parts of northwest Indiana at the highest risk of the most destructive storms with potentially intense tornadoes.
“Gusty, damaging, maybe even destructive winds of up to 75-80 mph, large golf ball sized hail, strong tornadoes” Roman said.
According to the SPC, parts of Will, Kankakee, LaSalle, Grundy and Kendall Counties in Illinois; and parts of Newton, Jasper, Lake and Porter Counties in Indiana were under at an “enhanced” risk of severe weather, which ranks as level four.
Chicago and much of Cook County will be at a “moderate” risk of severe weather, which ranks as level three of five. Counties to the north will see a “slight” risk, or level two.
There still look to be two time windows for severe weather threat today, with the second round in the afternoon and evening remaining the most concerning, though confidence in that second round is a bit lower than it was yesterday. pic.twitter.com/jyW2CfyCf5
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) June 17, 2026Tornado risk
The ingredients for “significant tornadoes” are most likely to be in place south of I-80 between about 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes explained. “Unfortunately, EF-3 tornadoes are again on the table of hazards, following destructive storms that hit several parts of the Chicago area last week.”
Jeanes said the risk area could shift slightly to the north or south depending on how far north the warm front makes it after first round of storms.
“Places south of the warm front will have a greater risk of individual supercell thunderstorms that, along with strong tornadoes, could produce tennis ball-sized hail,” Jeanes said.
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