A number of weather alerts were issued for portions of the Chicago area on Thursday evening as thunderstorms trekked across the region.

Severe thunderstorms are expected Friday afternoon and evening across Chicagoland, accompanied by a risk for damaging wind gusts, hail and some tornadoes.

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.

The National Weather Service received no reports of tornado touchdowns Friday night after cancelling a tornado watch early for several Northern Illinois counties. After issuing a tornado watch

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

LAKE COUNTY — The National Weather Service stopped short of issuing a severe thunderstorm warning in Northwest Indiana but said Lake County, Porter County and sections of LaPorte County were inside a "threat area" for lightning strikes, localized downpours and gusty wind capable of downing tree limbs.