Thundery downpours greet Chicagoans Saturday morning associated with a system which produced twisters Friday in Kansas and driving rains over sections of western Illinois. Totals north of St. Louis in McDonough County, Ill., reached 2.50” by nightfall Friday—much of it falling in only 30 minutes. An average of 24 computer projections indicates Chicago rainfall could reach 0.87”—but may range from as little as 0.75” in some areas to as much as 2” in others before winding down later Saturday.
More information is emerging on Thursday’s southern Wisconsin tornadoes. The deadliest of the nearly three dozen twisters—the Stoughton, Wis., storm—touched down at 6:05 p.m. Thursday and may have been on the ground 45 to 55 minutes, traveling very slowly by tornado standards—perhaps just 15 to 20 m.p.h., half a typical tornado’s forward speed. There has never been a stronger twister as far south in Wisconsin in August.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
