A tornado watch has been issued until 11 p.m. Friday for Cook County and most of northern Illinois. Strong storms are expected to hit the Chicago area between 8 p.m. and midnight, the National Weather Service said.

Severe thunderstorms are expected Friday afternoon and evening across Chicagoland, accompanied by a risk for damaging wind gusts, hail and some tornadoes.

Tornado Watch The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for much of Chicagoland until 11 p.m. Friday night. CHICAGO – Heavy rain is in the forecast for much of Chicagoland

Severe thunderstorm warnings popped off in the greater Chicago area through the evening Thursday, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the Windy City Smokeout.

Chicago faced a stormy weekend with severe weather threats, including hail and gusty winds, according to forecasts.

A tornado touched down Wednesday evening near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, prompting passengers to take shelter and disrupting hundreds of flights. There were no reports of injuries.

Despite being known as the Windy City, Chicago has developed a false reputation as being impervious to tornadoes. In its history, Chicago has seen very few tornadoes compared with the rest of ...

Southwestern McHenry County was hit particularly hard in the early round of storms, with 50-cent piece-sized hail and 60 mph wind gusts. This storm also had rotation associated with it, and there was concern about a tornado warning, but no tornado warnings were issued.