The National Weather Service on Wednesday afternoon issued a tornado watch for a large portion of Indiana as storms began to roll into the Midwest. When severe weather hits, alerts around thunderstorms and tornadoes can help you decide whether to take cover and what other precautions to take. Here's a look at what they mean.

Powerful storms swept across the state Wednesday afternoon bringing damaging wind gusts. Improving weather rest of the evening 6:30PM UPDATE: extensive damage across the state but the powerful

The risk for severe weather on Wednesday was highest in an area that includes southeast Missouri eastward across much of Illinois and Indiana, western Ohio and northern Kentucky. There’s a chance for more isolated severe storms in the Southern Plains.

A Tornado Watch is in effect, as is a Flood Watch, for large swaths of the Chicago area Wednesday. The possibility of stronger tornadoes is most likely from Ottawa to the Loop, especially on the South Side,

Strong storms have started moving into the Chicago area, particularly in the south and southeast suburbs and Northwest Indiana. The storms could bring tornadoes and flooding.

The storms are expected Wednesday in the late morning and afternoon, especially southeast of Interstate 55 in eastern Illinois and northwest Indiana, according to the National Weather Service.