Thunderstorms chances increase late Thursday evening, Isolated severe threat overnight

10:20PM UPDATE: A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued until 11pm for far northwest Jo Daviess County. 60 mph wind gusts and penny sized hail will be possible. The storm is currently moving northeast at 50 mph.

 

ORIGINAL POST: Temperatures Thursday afternoon warmed into the upper 70s and lows across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, with Rockford's high reaching 81 degrees. Skies have been dry throughout the afternoon as a few showers and isolated thunderstorms have bubbled up west of the Mississippi River, and into southwest Wisconsin.

Most of the evening will feature dry skies but an isolated shower/storm can't entirely be ruled out after sunset across far northwest Illinois. The main line of storms will arrive with the cold front, set to move in overnight. The Storm Prediction Center continues to highlight southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois under a 'marginal risk' for an isolated severe storm or two tonight.

Ongoing severe weather can be seen with a line of storms stretching from southern Minnesota, down through Iowa, and into Kansas. This is where the highest risk for severe storms will be through the evening. As the line shifts east tonight, it should generally be on a weakening trend as it nears the Mississippi River. However, there could still be just enough instability to help maintain at least an isolated severe risk - mainly with strong wind gusts - through the early overnight.

It looks like the storms should be entering into northwest Illinois between 10pm and Midnight, moving east through 4am. Frequent lightning and heavy rainfall will also accompany any of the storms that move through, but thankfully our flooding threat is low. We'll continue to monitor the radar out west and as the storms approach the region later tonight.