A tornado watch is in effect for a large swath of the Chicago suburbs and Northwest Indiana as a line of severe storms barrels towards our area.

Another storm system is affecting millions of people in the middle of the U.S. Parts of the Midwest and Great Plains faced blizzard conditions Wednesday and a broad swath of neighboring states are at risk of high winds and wildfires.

Tens of millions of people living in the Midwest and central U.S. could be impacted by tornadoes on Wednesday while critical wildfire conditions continue to impact the Southwest, after recent wildfires and a tornado outbreak killed at least 42 people over the weekend.

Strong tornadoes are possible near Chicago, while blizzard conditions have been blasting Nebraska and Kansas. Farther south, Oklahoma and Texas are facing critical wildfire danger.

Severe weather will impact a large swath of central and northern Illinois today. Here's what you need to know.

Officials said there was a 60% chance of showers and a thunderstorm  possible by 2 p.m. Wednesday in portions of north central and northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.

There is a threat of strong to severe thunderstorms Wednesday in the Chicago area. At least 12 people, including a popular musician, died when a small plane crashed into the sea while taking off from a Caribbean island off Honduras,