Threat Rising: Significant Tornadoes Possible in Illinois

This is the worst kind of Deja vu. The threat of significant tornadoes is rising in Illinois and many chasers and online meteorologists are sounding the alarm which is eerily similar to what happened just prior to the tragic twister that devastated the Kankakee area a couple weeks ago.

As I shared yesterday, we know that Illinois is likely to be the launching pad for a corridor of severe thunderstorms on Thursday based on advisories from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. Today, Ryan Hall and several storm chasers say the tornado threat within these storms is on the rise.

What is the National Weather Service saying about the tornado threat in Illinois?

The National Weather Service in Chicago is also warning of severe storm development expected Thursday although the confidence as of right now is not high that strong tornadoes will be a part of this event. They said timing will be key with the strongest storms expected to start impacting Illinois around 3pm.

Even if tornadoes are not a part of the Thursday storms, damaging wind and hail up to 2 inches are very likely especially in the central part of Illinois. This is another instance where being weather-aware will be vital for those in the advisory areas.