Tornadoes, hail the size of ping-pong balls and 70 mph winds could hit the Chicago area Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service warned.

A tornado watch was in effect till 7 p.m. for Chicago, the surrounding south and west suburbs and northwest Indiana.

Nine total counties in Illinois are under the watch: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Will, Livingston and Ford Iroquois, according to the weather service.

“This storm is knocking on the door of Chicago,” said Scott Lincoln, a meteorologist with the weather service office in Romeoville.

Strong gusts of winds, upwards of 80 mph, were recorded in southern Illinois Sunday afternoon, including in Iroquois and Champaign counties.

“We want people to take these warnings seriously,” Lincoln said. “Even if there aren’t any tornadoes, these strong winds can still cause severe damage.”

The National Weather Service predicts severe weather could hit the Chicago area Sunday evening.