Illinois Suddenly Faces a Tornado Danger Wednesday

It would appear that weather is going to be wild in Illinois this Wednesday and possibly even into Thursday as the state now suddenly is facing a tornado danger according to NOAA.

This new update from the Storm Prediction Center of NOAA is concerning. We knew that Illinois could be facing an extremely late season winter storm, but now tornadoes are a possibility, too. This is the newest warned map showing nearly all of Illinois is now at risk of seeing tornadoes Wednesday.

Let me translate what that map is saying. The darker green area is the part of Illinois that has a 5% chance of seeing a tornado while the yellow is 15%. Here are some words from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center meteorologist discussion about what to watch out for:

"Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible on Wednesday across parts of eastern Illinois and western Indiana from mid-afternoon to early evening. Severe gusts and hail will be the primary threats, though a couple of tornadoes are also possible."

I'll echo what the NOAA forecasters are saying. Wind will be the main challenge on Wednesday for Illinois. Whether those winds become tornados is debatable. It's good to be aware that it's possible, but not necessarily likely.

Also note that many parts of Illinois could see significant snowfall with that wind which could lead to near blizzard conditions if you're traveling when it happens.