A busy stretch of severe thunderstorms is underway due to record heat and now the threats are ramping up, putting major metro areas from Chicago to Nashville under threat as the country hits the peak of tornado season.

The Chicago area can expect showers and thunderstorms, some of which could be severe, Thursday night. The entire area remains under a tornado watch until 10 p.m., with the threat of large hail and gusty winds, according to the National Weather Service.

The strong tornado threat Thursday includes Chicago, Milwaukee and a big chunk of central Wisconsin. Evansville, Indiana, is at the heart of Friday’s tornado threat.

The city reached a record-breaking 93 degrees Thursday, topping the previous May 15 record of 91 degrees set in 1961.

More severe storms were expected to roll across the central U.S. this week following the weather-related deaths of more than two dozen people and a devastating Kentucky tornado.

Millions of people in the Midwest and Ohio Valley are likely to see increasing chances of severe weather this week after portions of the U.S. were rocked by weeks of deadly storms and flooding.

At least 14 people have died in Kentucky and seven more were killed in Missouri -- five of them in the St. Louis area.

The Chicago area woke up to a soggy morning Tuesday, with more soaking rain, downpours and scattered showers and even the chance for severe weather through the evening.