Midwest Chasing

We just had a decent thunderstorm just now; almost a microburst or something.

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED  
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 363  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1015 PM CDT THU JUN 7 2007  

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A  
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF   

       NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS  
       NORTHWEST INDIANA  
       WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN  
       SOUTHERN AND EASTERN WISCONSIN  
       LAKE MICHIGAN  

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 1015 PM  
UNTIL 500 AM CDT.  

TORNADOES…HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER…THUNDERSTORM WIND  
GUSTS TO 80 MPH…AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE  
AREAS.  

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 90 STATUTE  
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF  
PEORIA ILLINOIS TO 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF ROBEN HOOD MICHIGAN.   
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH  
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).  

REMEMBER…A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR  
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH  
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR  
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS  
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.  

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 360…WW 361…WW 362…  

DISCUSSION…SCTD TSTMS/POSSIBLE SUPERCELLS EXPECTED TO  
PERSIST/DEVELOP ALONG DRY LINE AND…EVENTUALLY…COLD FRONT MOVING  
E ACROSS THE MID MS VLY/WRN GRT LKS AS LARGE SCALE UPR TROUGH  
AMPLIFIES SEWD FROM THE NRN PLNS.  STRONG/DEEP WSW FLOW…INCREASING  
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INFLOW AND WEAK CONVERGENCE SUGGEST POTENTIAL FOR  
NARROW CORRIDORS OF DAMAGING WINDS/HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WELL  
INTO THE OVERNIGHT.  

Looks like a major severe weather outbreak is setting up for the area today. Currently northwest Illinois is under a high risk of severe weather with a 60% hatched probability of extreme damaging winds. That’ll probably expand eastward to include the Chicago metro area in later outlooks.