ILLINOIS — The potential for wind gusts up to 75 to 85 mph continues Tuesday morning as a Severe Thunderstorm Watch covers a corridor stretching from Dubuque through Rockford and toward Kankakee and Champaign. The lead round of storms across Indiana has pushed an outflow boundary a little southwest of Chicago, with the overall forecast evolving largely as expected.

Complex Already Producing Sixty to Seventy MPH Winds in Northwest Illinois

The storm complex has had a history of 60 to 70 mph winds across northwest Illinois, with many downed tree branch reports coming in from communities in the path. This history underscores the significant wind threat already realized before the morning’s continued strengthening potential.

Areas including Freeport, DeKalb, and Dixon have been within the corridor experiencing these damaging wind reports as the complex continues moving through the region Tuesday morning.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 563 Covers Broad Corridor Into Indiana

Storm Prediction Center Mesoscale Discussion 1921, valid until 11 a.m., outlines a Severe Thunderstorm Watch corridor stretching from Prairie du Chien and Platteville through Dubuque, Freeport, Rockford, and down through Ottawa and Kankakee toward the Indiana border near Lafayette.

The most probable peak intensity within this watch corridor is forecast at 65 to 80 mph wind gusts, with hail up to 1.25 inches also possible as the complex continues tracking southeast through the watch area.

Daytime Heating Expected to Fuel Continued Strengthening

Forecasters expect maintenance of the complex to continue, with strengthening still possible as daytime heating continues cooking the unstable atmosphere ahead of the system. This ongoing heating threatens to sustain or even intensify the wind threat as the morning progresses.

The greatest significant wind gust potential is highlighted along a corridor extending from near Dubuque through Rockford and continuing southeast toward Kankakee and Watseka, aligning with the complex’s forward track.

Outflow Boundary Southwest of Chicago Reflects Evolving Forecast

An outflow boundary generated by the lead round of storms across Indiana has pushed a little southwest of Chicago, positioned slightly off the originally estimated path drawn roughly 90 minutes earlier. Despite this shift, forecasters note the overall event continues evolving largely as expected.

Residents across northwest and north-central Illinois, including Rockford, DeKalb, and areas approaching Chicago, should remain alert for continued damaging wind potential as the complex tracks through the watch area Tuesday morning.