Tornado watch issued for northern Illinois

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for several counties including Allen, Kosciusko, Whitley, Wabash, Wells and Huntington in Indiana and Allen and Van Wert in Ohio until midnight Saturday night.

Those counties are also under a Flash Flood Watch until midnight.

The front briefly caused temperatures to dip into the 70s at O’Hare and Midway airports but as of 1:45 p.m., they are soaring up again into the upper 80s.

The watch was issued about 1:30 p.m. and is in effect until 10 p.m., said NWS meteorologist Jamie Enderlen.

Hendricks, Johnson, Marion and Morgan counties remain under a severe thunderstorm warning until 6:30.

The National Weather Service estimated winds up to 80 miles per hour passed through the Mt. Zion area.

A tornado warning for northern McHenry County was just recently cancelled, but that doesn’t mean residents should not take precautions for heavy storms.

Other areas that were affected by tornadoes include: Port Byron and Gladstone, Illinois as well as Swedesburg, IA. Avoid windows. If traveling, in a mobile home, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter to find protection against flying debris.