Temperatures plunge after severe storms, possible tornadoes hit Chicago area

Temperatures plunged overnight Tuesday after severe thunderstorms swept through the Chicago area, bringing damaging winds, hail and a few possible tornadoes.

By Wednesday morning, temperatures were in the low 20s with flurries moving across the area — less than 24 hours after the city recorded temperatures in the 70s.

“It’s always good to be prepared for a variety of weather hazards this time of year,” said Jake Petr, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “Have your coats and everything ready but also have sunscreen handy.”

Residents reported tornadoes touched down in Sugar Grove, Hinckley and Waterman Tuesday night but it remained too early to confirm the reports, said Scott Lincoln, a senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service.

The Kane County sheriff’s office said “three or four” tornadoes appeared to have touched down in the Aurora and Sugar Grove area. Funnel clouds also were spotted in other suburbs including Schaumburg.

Tuesday’s thunderstorms brought gusty winds and hail across the suburbs and the city’s North Side. It caused power outages and commuter delays, including a brief ground stop at O’Hare Airport.

Metra trains experienced some delays in the western suburbs, where downed trees on the tracks stopped trains in Elburn.

The cold front caused temperatures to drop into the 40s by late Tuesday and as low as 23 degrees overnight.

Tuesday was an unseasonably warm day with a high temp of 74 degrees, missing the record for Feb. 27 by one degree, according to the weather service. Rockford hit a high of 78, setting a record.

Rain returned to the area early Wednesday, then turned into light snow throughout the morning. A wind advisory was in effect throughout most of northern Illinois until 6 a.m. Wednesday, bringing gusts of up to 45 mph, the weather service said.

At O’Hare, wind chills Wednesday morning made it feel more like 5 degrees, Petr said.

Wednesday’s high will be 29 degrees, but temperatures are expected to warm up to 43 degrees Thursday, nearly 50 degrees Friday and into the 60s over the weekend. The unusually mild weather is amounting to what might become Chicago’s warmest February in recorded history.

Chicago’s warmest monthly average temperature for February was 39 degrees, set in 1882. Based on the weather so far and the latest predictions through the end of the month, this February is on track to barely top that record and reach a 39.4-degree average, according to the weather service.

Katie Anthony/Sun-Times

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Contributing: Cindy Hernandez and Katie Anthony