Severe storms could bring hail, high winds Monday evening

Strong thunderstorms could bring hail and high winds to the Chicago area Monday evening.

A hazardous weather outlook and severe thunderstorm watch issued about 3 p.m. warned of golf ball-sized hail and wind speeds of up to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

A severe storm warning was issued for DeKalb and Kane counties about 4:20 p.m. that will last until 5:15 p.m.

The storms are expected to arrive in the late afternoon, with the risk of strong storms continuing into the evening, the weather service said.

As of 4 p.m., 233 flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport and 42 were canceled at Midway International Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Average delays at each airport were 33 minutes and less than 15 minutes respectively.

A 70 percent chance of rain was forecast for Monday night, the service said. Temperatures were expected to drop to the upper-50s overnight.

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms was possible before 1 p.m. Tuesday with wind gusts that could reach 25 mph. A high of 64 was forecast for Tuesday.

A respite to the rainy weather could come Wednesday when mostly sunny skies and a high of 64 is forecast.

Over the past weekend, storms soaked the metro area and brought in low-lying clouds over downtown. Weekend rainfall totals were about an inch at O’Hare and about a half-inch at Midway.