Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 1121 AM CDT WED OCT 17 WED OCT 17 2007/ ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY THURSDAY AFTERNOON... AN INTENSIFYING STORM SYSTEM CURRENTLY IN THE PLAINS WILL SURGE NORTHEAST INTO THE MID AND UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY THURSDAY. STRENGTHENING WINDS WILL DRAW MOISTURE FROM THE GULF AND HELP DESTABILIZE THE AREA TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD START DEVELOPING TONIGHT AS THE FIRST WAVE ROTATES THROUGH THE AREA AS A WARM FRONT. THESE FIRST STORMS ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE SEVERE CONSIDERING THE TIME OF DAY AND WEAKER AVAILABLE ENERGY. BEHIND THIS FIRST WAVE...STORMS SHOULD SUBSIDE TO SHOWERS IN THE MORNING HOURS TOMORROW. THE SECOND WAVE HOWEVER WILL ARRIVE WITH THE COLD FRONT DRIVING EAST ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER SEVERAL HOURS AFTER SUNUP. IF SKIES BREAK OPEN IN THE MID TO LATE MORNING HOURS...SOLAR HEATING WILL ADD ENERGY TO AN ALREADY VIGOROUS LOOKING SYSTEM. THESE STORMS WILL ARRIVE IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON INTO NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND FINALLY CLEAR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA IN THE EARLY TO MID EVENING. STRONG DOWNBURSTS TO 70 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LARGE DAMAGING HAIL ARE ALSO PROBABLE. IF NOT THREATENING ENOUGH...A FEW TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA SHOULD BEGIN PREPARING NOW FOR THIS SIGNIFICANT BOUT OF SEVERE WEATHER. GATHER VALUABLES AND YOUR WEATHER RADIO (WTF is THAT all about??)AND KEEP TUNED TO TV AND RADIO TO KEEP ABREAST OF THIS DEVELOPING SEVERE STORM THREAT.