Chicago Weather Radar Live: Severe thunderstorm watch issued for entire area, flash flooding possible Friday night

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago area is bracing for a second round of thunderstorms Friday evening as a cold front moves in from Canada.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Lake (IL) County until 9:45 p.m. and for Boone and McHenry counties until 10 p.m.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for Cook, Boone, De Kalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, LaSalle, Lake (IL), McHenry, Livingston and Will counties until 2 a.m.

A Flood Watch is in effect for Boone, Cook, DuPage, DeKalb, Will, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Kankakee, Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois and Japser, Lake, Newton and Porter counties in Indiana until 3 a.m.

A ground stop is in effect at O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport due to the storms.

The National Weather Service has much of the Chicago area under a Level 3 risk for severe weather.

Check out the full 7-day forecast

ABC7 Meteorologist Larry Mowry said as of 9 p.m., storms have stayed mostly below severe limits and have just produced rain as they move through the area. There’s a more intense cluster of storms over parts of DuPage and Kane counties, with some reports of hail and some flooding concerns.

Heavy rain and wind continue to be the primary threats into the overnight hours, Mowry said. The line of storms to the west could post the biggest wind threat between 10 p.m. and midnight.

Mowry said storms are likely to linger into the overnight hours, though with less strength.

The first round of thunderstorms blew through in the early morning hours, prompting thunderstorm warnings in northwest Indiana. They were out of the area by around 8 a.m.

Between the storms, soaring heat and oppressive humidity were the main concerns around the Chicago area, with thick, wet air pushing heat indices into the triple digits.

At Fiesta del Sol, precautions were put in place to protect from the heat.

“We’ve had a couple people pass out already because of the heat. So, they’ve come here to the cooling stations. We do have paramedics here and EMTs on the ground, helping out people if that happens,” said nurse Diana Ortega. “If it does become severe with thunder and lightning, I believe, the festival said they might end up closing for the people’s safety.”

Festival organizers announced that Fiesta Del Sol will close at 6:30 p.m. Friday in anticipation of incoming storms. =

“We decided we were being proactive, and safety is the utmost concern for our patrons, for us. We want to make sure everyone’s safe,” said co-chair Alex Garcia.

At Wicker Park Fest, the show and festivities went on despite the heat and the potential for strong storms.

“It’s good for the area, good for the business owners. It’s good for the people.This is great. I’m glad they’re taking the opportunity to do it because who can’t party in the rain, though,” said Antonio Velez, Wicker Park Fest attendee.

Both Fiesta Del Sol and Wicker Park Fest run through Sunday.

The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for Grundy, Kankakee, LaSalle, Livingston and southern Will counties in Illinois and Newton County in Indiana until 9 p.m. Friday.

A Heat Advisory is also in effect for Boone, southern Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kendall, McHenry, northern and eastern Will counties in Illinois and Lake, Porter and Jasper counties in Indiana until 9 p.m. Friday.

The city of Chicago has several cooling areas for residents during the heat. Chicago Public Libraries and Chicago Park District fieldhouses will also have air conditioning.

Cooling area locations:

Englewood Center – 1140 W. 79th St., open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Garfield Center – 10 S. Kedzie Ave., open all day

King Center – 4314 S. Cottage Grove, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

North Area Center – 845 W. Wilson Ave., open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

South Chicago Center – 8650 S. Commercial Ave., open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Trina Davila Center – 4312 W. North Ave., open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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