CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – Champaign County is under a Tornado Watch until 10:00 p.m. tonight, as forecasters warn of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds, hail, and isolated tornadoes. The National Weather Service has issued this alert for several Illinois counties, including Champaign, Christian, Clark, Coles, Cook, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Livingston, Logan, McLean, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Sangamon, Shelby, Vermilion, and Will.
As of 8:00 p.m., Champaign County is experiencing mostly cloudy skies with temperatures around 81°F. Southwest winds are currently at 23 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, and are forecasted to decrease to 5 to 10 mph after midnight.
The primary threats from tonight’s storms include:
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Damaging Winds: Gusts up to 60 mph or higher.
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Large Hail: Hailstones up to 2 inches in diameter.
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Isolated Tornadoes: Particularly in areas with discrete supercells.
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Flooding: Heavy rain leading to localized flooding, especially in low-lying areas.