A line of strong thunderstorms brought a tornado watch, flood watch and heavy downpours to the Chicago area Wednesday afternoon.

National Weather Service officials are expecting showers and thunderstorms Wednesday mainly after 1 p.m. with wind gusts up to 20 mph.

A better chance of severe storms will arrive on Wednesday. Tonight will be partly to mostly cloudy with a few showers and storms. Temperatures will remain warm near 70 degrees. Wednesday will bring a brief cooldown with highs likely in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees. Scattered showers and storms are likely, and some storms may be severe.