Students woke up to the sounds of thunder and hail on their windows this morning as a string of peculiar weather stormed through the area.

Weather 101

What happened: A strong low pressure system passed through the DeKalb area.

What else is happening: Producing heavy snow in Wisconsin and far northwestern Illinois, and rain and thunderstorms across the rest of northern Illinois. In central and southern Illinois, tornado watches were in effect.

What it’s doing: Severe weather is likely in southern and central Illinois. This morning around 10:20 a.m., pea-sized hail was reported along with thunder and lightning.

What lies ahead: The low pressure system will move out tonight, and on Friday, temperatures will be in the teens with 35 mile per hour winds, reducing wind chills to around negative 10 degrees fahrenheit or even colder. Temperatures may barely hit 10 Saturday and only warm into the 20s on Monday or Tuesday, before the possibility of more cold air late next week.

“This does happen frequently in February and March, as major systems move through the area,” said staff meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste.

*Source: Gilbert Sebenste, staff meteorologist