Corridor of Severe Storms Possible in Illinois Thursday

It's that time of year when Illinois is often in the path of severe storms that cross the Midwest. That's the story again this Thursday as forecasters are warning that a "corridor of severe storms" could begin to blow up in Illinois.

Stop me if you've heard this before, but Illinois is now facing a bigger threat of severe storms according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center

I was looking through the meteorologist discussion from the Storm Prediction Center and this is the key description of what they're saying could develop on Thursday:

"The combination of lift along the front, moderate to strong winds aloft, and sufficient instability should result in a corridor of severe storms from late afternoon through early evening affecting parts of IL, IN, and OH."

Storm chasers like Reed Timmer are talking about storm possibilities in Illinois on Thursday, too.

The forecasters add that the expectation is that storms will produce up to 2 inch hail and tornadoes are possible. The good news is that once the sun goes down Thursday night, the storm risk should diminish as the heat of the day goes away. The key will be early in the day on Thursday as the lack of precipitation and clouds could lead to more instability and stronger storms. As is usually the case, a few clouds and a little rain earlier in the day could mean less severe storms later, but that does not look likely on Thursday. Prepare for strong thunderstorms and don't be surprised if Illinois is where the bigger storms start to pick up strength.