Severe weather could hit Friday; National Weather Service tracking storm system

Thunderstorms are expected to sweep into the northern Illinois region Friday afternoon and evening, bringing with them the potential for damaging winds and possible tornadoes.

In a statement issued Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service’s Romeoville office advised residents of an increasing “potential that a robust storm system will develop across the Plains on Thursday, then track eastward across the Midwest and into the Great Lakes region on Friday.”

An unusual weather pattern has set in to large swaths of the country, last week triggering the devastating tornado that hit Rolling Fork, Mississippi, and meteorologists fear this Friday will be one of the worst days, with much more to come. The National Weather Service said 16.8 million people live in the highest risk zone, and more than 66 million people overall should be on alert Friday.

“It’s pretty darn clear that somebody is going to take it on the nose on Friday,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor and tornado expert and chaser Victor Gensini. “It’s just a matter of where and exactly when.”

The weather service is cautioning a large area of the country – including parts of Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, West Virginia, Georgia and Kansas – to be alert for intense thunderstorms, tornadoes and other damaging winds. Big cities in the highest danger area include Memphis, St. Louis, Des Moines and Little Rock.

Gensini said he fears Friday’s onslaught will be deadly.

While questions remain with the track and timing of the storm system in northern Illinois, heavy rain, gusty winds and the potential exists Friday for severe thunderstorms across the region, the NWS said.

The NWS’ Quad Cities office advised of the potential for severe storms in north central and northwest Illinois between 3 and 9 p.m. on Friday with the potential for damaging winds, tornadoes and large hail.

The communities of Sterling, Rock Falls, Princeton and Ottawa are located in the area identified by the NWS as being at an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms. The NWS lists the communities of Freeport, DeKalb, Rockford, Aurora and Joliet as being at a slight risk of severe thunderstorms.

The NWS is encouraging residents to continue to monitor their local forecasts for updates.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Chicago office issued a statement Wednesday reminding residents of the heightened risk of severe storms Friday and the potential for tornadoes throughout the Mississippi Valley, extending across the state of Illinois.

“Monitor local forecasts and prepare for the possibility of dangerous weather,” Tim Sivak, FEMA Region 5 regional administrator said in the statement. “Acting now before the weather turns will help ensure you and your loved ones stay safe.”

“Monitor local forecasts and prepare for the possibility of dangerous weather.”

—  Tim Sivak, FEMA Region 5 regional administrator

Across the country, the storms are expected to start Friday afternoon and go overnight, which is particularly dangerous because people can’t see them coming and often won’t seek shelter, weather service Storm Prediction Center warning coordination meteorologist Matt Elliott said Wednesday.

“The storms will be moving very quickly,” Elliott said. “So you won’t have a lot of time to react to warnings as well. So now’s the time to start preparing.”

Though all the ingredients are there for dangerous storms, it’s possible they may not combine precisely enough to pose the threat that meteorologists are warning about, Elliott and others said.

Another batch of severe storms, powered by a “firehose” of unstable waves in the atmosphere that keep flowing from the cold west and combine with moist air from the east, could hit next Tuesday and the next few days after that, said Walker Ashley, another meteorology professor at Northern Illinois and Gensini’s storm-chasing partner.

“You could see these things coming days in advance,” Ashley said. They will be “continual punches, one, two, three, four.”

The weather service already is forecasting another batch of intense storms next Tuesday in the same general area as Friday with fairly high confidence, Elliott said.

At least the first 10 days of April will be rough, said Accuweather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.

FEMA is urging residents to sign up for warning system alerts offered in their local communities and suggested they also can obtain emergency alerts on the Emergency Alert System and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio.

FEMA also advised residents to pay attention to weather reports and warnings and to be prepared to take shelter immediately if necessary.

Additional emergency preparedness information from FEMA is available at ready.gov/severe-weather or by downloading the free FEMA app.

• AP reporter Seth Borenstein contributed to this report.