Major storms could hit Chicago late Wednesday or early Thursday

This tree was uprooted in the 1600 block of West Jarvis Avenue when a severe storm and tornado passed over Rogers Park on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. | Mitch Dudek/Sun-Times file

Strong thunderstorms with potentially damaging winds are expected to push through the Chicago area late Wednesday or early Thursday, though forecasters are less certain the storms will produce derecho-strength winds seen last August.

“We’ve seen some reports that this will be like Aug. 10, but we’re not forecasting something like that. There’s a lot more uncertainty with this one,” said Lee Carlaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The most likely scenario is that pockets of thunderstorms with winds from 60 to 70 mph will hit between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Thursday, although they could arrive as early as 11 p.m. Wednesday, Carlaw said.

The strongest parts of the storm are likely to move over the lake and hit western parts of Michigan.

But there’s still a possibility the storm will gain power and head further inland, with winds as high as 75 or 80 mph that could cause significant damage, Carlaw said.

In a statement Wednesday morning, AccuWeather warned that the storm had the potential for winds up to 100 mph.

Between 1 and 2 inches of rain could fall by 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the weather service.