Chicago weather: Tornado Warning in effect for Cook, DuPage

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CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago area is under the threat of severe weather this weekend as several rounds of storms are expected to sweep through.

The Chicago area could see heavy rain, gusty winds and hail on Saturday with the possibility of some tornadoes, said ABC7 Meteorologist Greg Dutra.

A Tornado Warning is in effect for Cook and DuPage counties until 5:15 p.m. A tornado-producing storm was located over Oak Brook, moving northeast at 25 MPH, according to the National Weather Service.

A Tornado Watch was issued for Cook, Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Livingston, McHenry, and Will counties until 8:00 p.m. Saturday.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has also been issued for Cook, DuPage, Kendall and Will counties until 5:15 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Grundy is also under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 4:30 p.m.

FULL FORECAST: Watch the latest 7-day outlook

According to the Storm Prediction Center, the entire Chicago area is under a “slight” risk for severe weather on Saturday – a level 2 out of 5. There is a 5% probability of a tornado within 25 miles of any given point in the Chicago area on Saturday, ABC7 Meteorologist Cheryl Scott said Friday.

Several rounds of showers and storms are expected to develop Saturday with the potential to turn severe. Threat of storms on Saturday afternoon and evening are contingent on morning destabilization of atmosphere, which scattered storms on Saturday morning may act to inhibit. All storm threats possible, but high winds are most likely, Dutra said.

Scattered showers and storms are possible earlier Saturday. Rumbles of thunder won’t be surprising, but the better chance for severe weather will be in the later afternoon and evening.

Thunderstorms are expected to develop across northwest Illinois to the I-39 corridor after 1:00 p.m. and move eastward into northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana through the afternoon and early evening. They likely will not make it to the Chicago area until closer to 5:00 p.m. It will then hit northwest Indiana in the 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. timeframe.

The system heading toward the Chicago area already hit Kansas on Friday and the images coming out of there are terrifying.

Video shows powerful twisters ripping through the town of Andover, a suburb of Wichita. You can see debris flying and power lines sparking as the funnel rips through everything in its path. Much of the city is now without power. So far, there have been no reports of injuries.