Chicago Severe Weather: Tornado Watch issued for northern Illinois as the storm moves through the area Friday |  Live Radar

CHICAGO (WLS) — The National Weather Service warned of an “extremely hazardous situation” with the potential for violent tornadoes developing in Iowa and Illinois.

A Tornado Watch valid until 10:00 pm for the following counties: Boone, Cook, De Kalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, McHenry, Ogle, Will, and Winnebago in Illinois , and Kenosha, Racine, Walworth, and Waukesha counties in Wisconsin.

A Wind Advisor also applies from 3 p.m. Friday to 1 p.m. Saturday for the eastern Will, Grundy, Kankakee, LaSalle, and southern Will counties in Illinois and Benton, Jasper, and Newtown in Indiana.

Be sure to have a plan for where to go if bad weather hits, and have multiple ways to get weather alerts.

Storm planning: What to do the day before the threat of severe weather.

ABC7 Meteorologist Cheryl Scott said damaging winds and tornadoes were possible as a potentially severe storm developed quickly and raced through the Chicago area Friday afternoon and evening.

The impact was already being felt at Chicago airport, where 125 flights were canceled at Midway and 80 flights were canceled at O'Hare as of 2 p.m. The average delay at both airports was less than 15 minutes.

WATCH | Time of most recent severe storm

Strong storms are possible in the Chicago area from about 1 to 2 p.m., but the main threat of severe weather will be between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m., Scott said.

Damaging wind gusts over 75 mph, large hail, and isolated tornadoes are possible with any storms that develop.

The Hurricane Prediction Center has placed the southwestern suburbs, southern suburbs, and northwest Indiana under a “moderate” rare-issued severe weather risk, level 4 of 5. The Chicago area is directly under “increased” severe weather risk, a level 3 of 5.

Areas south and west of Chicago have a under 10 to 15% chance of a tornado developing within 25 miles. Chicago to northwest Indiana has under 5% odds.

“The Hurricane Prediction Center isn't putting out any signs of that hatching unless they see converging materials where it indicates a greater likelihood of multiple stronger tornadoes,” Scott said.

As a result, Scott said, tornadoes ranging from EF-2 to EF-5 can form.

How rare are tornadoes in the Chicago area?

According to NOAA Hurricane Event Databasethere have been approximately 61 tornadoes in Cook, Du Page, Kane, Lake (IL), McHenry and Will counties in the past 10 years that have directly caused 12 injuries.

-Cook District: 10

-Du Page County: 10 (one EF-0 this year)

– Kane County: 8

-Lake County: 3

-McHenry County: 6

-Will County: 24 (one EF-0 this year)

The largest tornado was EF-3 which hit Naperville and Woodbridge on 20 June 2021.

The largest tornado to hit Cook County since 1950 was an F-4 that struck Oak Lawn and the South Side of Chicago on April 21, 1967. This tornado directly caused 33 deaths, 500 injuries, and $25 million in property damage. This is the deadliest tornado in Cook and the collar region since 1950.

The largest tornado recorded in Cook and the collar counties since 1950 hit Plainfield in Will County on August 28, 1990 (F-5). This directly caused 29 deaths, 350 injuries, and $250 million worth of property damage.

Keep an eye on ABC7 Eyewitness News and abc7chicago.com for the latest updates on potential severe weather.

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