Funnel Clouds Possible This Afternoon For Chicago Area

Scattered thunderstorms and funnel clouds are possible across northern Illinois Monday afternoon. The National Weather Service is reporting atmospheric conditions are favorable for the development of funnel clouds. These funnel clouds normally only protrude a few hundred feet downward from the parent cloud, rotate or spin like a top, and last a few minutes before dissipating, according to weather officials.

The good news is that the funnel clouds rarely touch the ground and typically do not pose any sort of hazard. The atmospheric conditions that these funnel clouds develop in also do not support strong, damaging tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.

"However, on extremely rare occasions, these funnels can briefly touch the ground and produce very minimal, if any, damage," according to an update posted on the National Weather Service's Facebook page.

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Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are also in the forecast Monday afternoon. A thunderstorm warning has been issued for north central Will County and south central Cook County through 3 p.m. Those storms could bring quarter-sized hail. The storm was located near Homer Glen at 2:23 p.m. Towns that could be affected by the storm include Joliet, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Romeoville, Lockport, New Lenox, Homer Glen, Matteson, Mokena, Frankfort, Lemont, Worth, Ingalls Park, Oak Forest, Goodings Grove, Palos Heights, Orland Hills, Palos Park, Frankfort Square and Fairmont.

Weather officials are reminding residents to move indoors and to a place of safety if threatening weather approaches.

More via the National Weather Service website