A tornado watch has been issued until 11 p.m. Friday for Cook County and most of northern Illinois. Strong storms are expected to hit the Chicago area between 8 p.m. and midnight, the National Weather Service said.

Chicago faced a stormy weekend with severe weather threats, including hail and gusty winds, according to forecasts.

Severe thunderstorm warnings popped off in the greater Chicago area through the evening Thursday, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the Windy City Smokeout.

Portions of west-central Chicago experienced localized flash flooding on July 8. Find out how to stay safe in flooded areas.

Snow seasons in Chicago are tracked from July through the following June. The area normally can expect 38.4 inches.

Southwestern McHenry County was hit particularly hard in the early round of storms, with 50-cent piece-sized hail and 60 mph wind gusts. This storm also had rotation associated with it, and there was concern about a tornado warning, but no tornado warnings were issued.

Along with the chance for storms, there will be HEAT in the forecast Friday with highs in the low to mid 90s. High temperatures will be in the upper 80s this weekend with the better chance for storms on Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning at 9:46 p.m. Tuesday night for Chicago and Cicero and the situation quickly escalated.