Severe weather brought quarter-sized hail, winds up to 60 mph and warnings of tornadoes across Chicago and northern Illinois late-Wednesday afternoon. By 6 p.m., the band of storms had moved east into northwest Indiana, leaving a risk of high winds overnight and tornado warnings along and south of Interstate 80.The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch until 9 p.m. for counties south of Interstate 80, including Will, La Salle and Kankakee, as well as Benton and Newton counties in Indiana. The severe weather threat will continue to increase across the region this evening, primarily in northwest Indiana. The primary threat is for damaging winds, but the threat for tornadoes is there for areas near and south of I-80. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/1bR3U4CkNt— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 19, 2025 A dust storm advisory was also in effect until 6:45 p.m. in Kankakee, Ford and Iroquois counties as winds up to 50 mph kicked up blowing dust in rural areas causing visibility of less than two miles, weather officials said.A wind advisory was in place for much of northern Illinois and parts of northwestern Indiana from 11 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday, according to the weather service. Severe weather is moving through northern Illinois on Wednesday afternoon and evening, turning to snow and chilly weather Thursday, the first day of spring.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Overnight Wednesday, snow is expected to mix with rain around midnight and turn entirely to snow around 3 a.m. Thursday.Thursday morning's commute will be chilly, with temperatures around 30 degrees. The snow should end by daybreak. Hail in Oak Lawn IL. Not snow. HAIL. With tornado sirens on full blast. Love this weather. Gotta love Chicago weather! pic.twitter.com/mjvyvlm3iD— yeah No (@DemBoys1919) March 19, 2025 The snow may create some slick spots on the road and reduce visibility due to the high winds, weather officials said. "Take it slow out there on the roads. Leave extra distance between [drivers] and the car in front of them and prepare for extra travel time, especially during the morning commute," said Brett Borchardt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "I know we've had some nice, warm spring days, but we're still in the time of year where we have to deal with winter driving." Spring starts Thursday, but Chicagoans can expect snow for a few more weeks.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times The wild weather pattern comes as spring begins Thursday. The city usually sees the last snow of the season near the end of March or early April, though there have been instances of snow falling in Chicago in mid-April, Borchardt said. "It is typical to see snowflakes all the way through the rest of the month," Borchardt said. ...read more read less