Chicago hits 87, warmest day this year; severe thunderstorm watch issued south of city and dust storm warning in central Illinois – Chicago Tribune
Sunday was the warmest day of the year in Chicago so far, but temperatures plummeted in the evening, with a severe thunderstorm watch issued for some areas south of the city, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperature readings at O’Hare International Airport hit 87 degrees Sunday, said weather service meteorologist Eric Lenning.
By about 7:30 p.m., the temperature at O’Hare had dropped to about 63 degrees, Lenning said.
The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of Illinois and northwest Indiana until 12 a.m. Monday.
“The concern is for large hail and damaging winds as well as flash flooding,” Lenning said.
On Twitter, the weather service warned of the potential for frequent lightening as well as gusts of wind that could reach up to 65 mph.
A flash flood warning was issued for some areas south and west of Chicago, including Joliet and Kankakee, until 12:15 a.m. Monday.
The “heaviest activity” would occur in the south suburbs, Lenning said, though Chicagoans could expect to see some rain Sunday evening.
Later in the evening, the weather service issued dust storm warnings for some areas of east central Illinois, including I-55 near Dwight and US-24 near Fairbury. Other areas covered by the warnings were I-57, US-24 and US-45 near Gilman and I-57 and US-45 near Paxton.
On Twitter, the weather service warned that winds would cause “near-zero visibility” in some areas, but said visibility should improve when rain moved in. The dust storm warnings were set to expire between 9:45 and 10:30 p.m.
Seven people were fatally injured in a massive multivehicle crash amid a dust storm last week on Interstate 55 south of Springfield, according to Illinois State Police.
Monday was expected to bring a few lingering showers, with the rest of the week seeing highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s, with cooler temperatures along the lakeshore.
