Tornado watch issued for western Illinois counties

Forecasters have issued a tornado watch for several counties west of the Chicago area.

The watch remains in effect until 1 a.m. Monday and includes DeKalb, Boone, Rock Island, LaSalle and Winnebago counties, according to the National Weather Service.

Also included in the tornado watch are Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Christian, De Witt, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Putnam, Sangamon, Schuyler, SCott, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Warren, Whiteside, Winnebago and Woodford counties.

A tornado watch also has been issued for several Iowa counties, including Des Moines, the weather service said.

Chicago was hit with showers and strong winds Sunday afternoon and evening that are expected to last overnight into Memorial Day. Forecasters predicted a possible thunderstorm Monday morning before 10 a.m., but temperatures were expected to stay high, peaking near 86 by the afternoon.