Chicago earthquake? Loud claps of thunder rumble across the area during a thunderstorm in Chicago – NBC Chicago

No, there was no earthquake — but strong thunderstorms combined with heavy rain and hail across the Chicago area may have made things look like they did.

“Has anyone else woken up to the loudest thunder they've ever heard?” Starts a Reddit thread for the Chicago community. “The strangest thing was how long the echo lasted. It felt like it was making this booming sound for over 10 seconds. It could be the loudest thunder I've ever heard.”

The post quickly rose to the top of the site, attracting more than 70 comments.

“I totally thought it was an earthquake,” one response said.

Users from other suburbs also participated.

Another comment said: “In Glen Ellyn, right by the arboretum, 20 miles from town.” “The whole house shook. I thought for sure the trees had just fallen!”

Overnight, hail, thunder, lightning and heavy rain hit parts of the Chicago area, with more rain and storms continuing throughout the hours of Thursday morning and evening.

Early Wednesday, parts of Kankakee County and Newton County in Indiana were under a severe thunderstorm warning. In Grundy, Iroquois, LaSalle and Livingston counties, a severe thunderstorm watch continued until 10 a.m.

Storms are occurring across the area this morning. While most storms will be less intense, a line of storms could produce strong and damaging wind gusts south of I-80 as it moves through the orange and brown shaded areas on the graphic. #ilwx #ilwx pic.twitter.com/3dKskaAFNI

— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 14, 2024

“Storms are occurring across the area this morning,” a tweet from the National Weather Service said. “Although most storms will be less severe, a line of storms could produce strong to damaging wind gusts south of I-80.”

Kevin Gaines, a meteorologist with the NBC 5 Storm Team, noted that some parts along I-80 may have been woken up throughout the night by thunder or hail.

“Some of you may have woken up because it was cold outside,” Janes said, noting that as of 5:15 a.m., most of them had gotten out of there. “It's still possible for some small hail to fall, you can't rule that out this morning, with heavy rain, lightning and thunder,” he added.

Jeans noted that low pressure in the southwest will continue to head east, bringing with it rotating thunderstorms and perhaps more hail. In an alert, the NWS noted that nickel-sized hailstones have already been reported in Livingston, LaSalle, Kankakee and Will counties.

In parts of Kansas and Missouri, “gorilla” hail was reported.

Gaines said widespread, heavy rain is expected during the morning commute, continuing until mid-morning. Some local flooding or ponding may occur.

“Plan for rain that could be heavy at times, especially if you get on the road an hour or two from now,” Gaines said at 5 a.m., noting that the roads were already wet.

NBC 5 traffic reporter Kyi Martin added that the “difficult” trip is expected to continue.

At 7:45 a.m., the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District issued an overflow alert, advising residents to conserve water due to heavy rain.

The threat of strong morning thunderstorms is expected to remain south of I-80, though heavy rain, frequent lightning and thunder are expected across the area, Gaines said.

The break in rain could arrive until Thursday afternoon, though storms will likely return again around 3 p.m. and continue into the evening, Gaines said.

“It is possible that there will be strong thunderstorms later today,” Jeanes said of the forecast.

According to the National Weather Service, the storms that occur are expected to contain heavy rain, lightning, hail and damaging winds of up to 60 mph. The National Weather Service said some severe storms could develop mainly south of the Illinois and Kankakee rivers. The Meteorological Service added that the chances of severe weather are lower in the north.

A wide range of temperatures is also expected on Thursday. South of I-80, temperatures were expected to remain warm, with highs in the mid 60s. To the north and along the lakefront, temperatures are expected to be even cooler, with highs only reaching the lower 40s to mid 40s.

You can find expanded Chicago forecasts from the NBC 5 Storm team here.

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