A line of severe storms triggered tornado warnings for parts of the area late Wednesday, and brought dangerous wind, hail and blinding downpours to the entire Chicago area. The severe storms had ...

The Chicago branch of the National Weather Service tweeted out: "The potential for severe weather returns as early as Tuesday night (threat level 1 and 2 of 5) as multiple waves of storms life across the area, mainly after midnight. Large hail, gusty winds and lightning are the main hazards of the storm."

Weather balloon releases — tracking temperature, pressure and wind speed — have been suspended or reduced in the Midwest and Great Plains.

A massive storm hitting the central U.S. on Wednesday could spin up damaging tornadoes and dump heavy rain from northern Texas to the Great Lakes.

Wednesday is definitely a day to be "weather ready" in the Chicago area.There will be a significant outbreak of severe storms over a large portion of the country, but there are still some question marks regarding impacts locally.

Volatile spring weather will kick into high gear this week as a potential severe thunderstorm outbreak and life-threatening flooding loom large for tens of millions of people in the central and eastern United States.

Severe thunderstorms, including tornado warnings, affecting Chicago and surrounding areas caused flights to be held at O'Hare