Tornado watch issued for far south suburbs

A tornado watch has been issued Friday afternoon for the far south suburbs and much of central Illinois.

The watch means conditions are favorable for development of tornadoes, the National Weather Service said.

The watch, in place until 8 p.m., could come with isolated tornadoes, damaging winds up to 70 mph and hail up to a quarter size, the weather service said. Scattered storms are likely to arrive before 5 p.m.

Kankakee, Livingston, Iroquois and Ford counties are among the counties under the watch. The storm is also expected to hit east and central Indiana.

Residents should be prepared to move to a safe place if the storm becomes dangerous.