Northern Illinois Could See a Rare and Dangerous Storm Tonight

When it comes to severe weather chances in the Rockford area recently, meteorologists have missed the mark a bit, and I'm not complaining one bit.

Yes, we need more rain in the Stateline area, but as someone who gets nervous in severe weather situations, there are two words that never fail to crank my anxiety up, tornadoes and derechos, and one of those words has officially entered the chat for this evening.

trees with wind photo

What Is a Derecho?

Illinoisans all know what a tornado is by now, but what about its equally scary cousin the derecho?

Here's how a derecho is defined by the National Weather Service:

A derecho (pronounced similar to "deh-REY-cho") is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.

Derechos can be just as destructive as tornadoes but have one very big difference: the damage comes from one direction in a straight path. 

The National Weather Service classifies a storm as a derecho when "the wind damage swath extends more than 240 miles (about 400 kilometers) and includes wind gusts of at least 58 mph (93 km/h) or greater along most of its length."

Now, here comes the bad news.

Derecho Chances in Northern Illinois

Meteorologists are warning Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin residents that the storms expected to move into the area tonight (Monday night) are favorable for a derecho, so we need to be prepared.

How to Prepare for Derechos

It's important to remember that derechos are all about high speed, straight line winds, and the best way to prepare for them is to secure outdoor items that could blow away and cause damage. When the winds kick up you need to take shelter, just like during a tornado warning.

A few other things you should do to prepare for a derecho include:

• Trimming weak tree branches
• Prepare an emergency kit with water and food and put fresh batteries in all your flashlights in case the power goes out.
• Review your family's emergency escape plan.

Please make sure your family stays weather aware and safe this evening!