Chicago weather: Storms race through area at start of Memorial Day weekend; more possible | Radar
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Storms raced through the Chicago area to start the Memorial Day weekend, spurring a number of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.
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Storms moving east from Iowa sparked Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in several more counties earlier in the day, which have expired.
A small tornado threat could exist for the Chicago area, ABC7 Chicago AccuWeather Meteorologist Larry Mowry said.
Most of the area is under a 5% tornado risk, but northwest Indiana has a 2% risk.
The Storm Prediction Center has the Chicago area under a Level 2 Slight Risk for severe weather Friday.
Storms moved into the area during the morning, and several damaging tornadoes were reported in Iowa and Illinois as storms downed power lines and trees.
The large storm system began overnight in Nebraska before traveling across central Iowa and into Illinois.
At least five tornadoes were reported south of Iowa City and near Moline, Illinois, early Friday, according to meteorologist John Haase with the weather service's office in the Quad Cities area that includes Moline. No injuries had been reported.
A second round of storms is expected to move into Chicago area from western Illinois between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., ABC7 AccuWeather Meteorologist Phil Schwarz said.
Most of those storms, which could bring wind and hail, are expected to stay below severe limits. A few isolated storms may approach or reach severe limits in our area, Schwarz said.
The Chicago area's storm threat is expected to diminish after 9 p.m., when the systems move into Indiana. Storms will move out of the entire area by midnight, when skies will start to clear.
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As for the rest of the Memorial Day weekend, Saturday is expected to be sunny and dry.
A couple rounds of storms are possible on Sunday afternoon and evening with a few afternoon showers forecasted for Memorial Day.
Areas far south, near Livingston County, have the highest risk of severe weather on Sunday, Schwarz said. Much of the Chicago area is under a slight risk for severe weather on Sunday. Areas further north of the city are under a marginal risk.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
