Wed Mar 19 19:40:00 UTC 2025: ## Midwest Faces Severe Thunderstorm Threat, Tornado Risk

**Chicago, IL –** The Midwest is bracing for a round of severe thunderstorms Wednesday, with the potential for damaging winds, hail, and several tornadoes. While the National Weather Service (NWS) doesn’t anticipate an outbreak as widespread as last Friday’s, a significant risk remains, particularly across parts of Illinois and Indiana.

A level 3 out of 5 risk for severe storms has been issued by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center for areas from northern and central Illinois into far west-central Indiana, encompassing cities like Peoria and Champaign. This region faces the highest threat of tornadoes, including the possibility of a strong EF2 or greater tornado.

Early reports confirm the situation’s severity: quarter-size hail was reported in parts of Iowa, and multiple spotters sighted a tornado southwest of Peoria, Illinois. The threat extends beyond this high-risk area, with damaging winds, hail, and an isolated tornado threat possible as far north as Chicago, and east into Indiana, western Ohio, and southwest Michigan.

The intensity of the storms depends on atmospheric instability, a factor that remains somewhat uncertain due to limited moisture. Isolated storms may also bring hail and gusty winds to parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.

The NWS urges residents in affected areas to closely monitor weather alerts and warnings.

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