3.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes West of Chicago

A 3.4 magnitude earthquake rattled residents west of Chicago in the early hours of Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake struck at 2:53 a.m. Monday just northwest of Somonauk, Ill., in DaKalb County, about 65 miles west of the Chicago metro area, at a depth of about six miles, according to USGS.

Despite occurring in the middle of the night when most people are asleep, some residents reported to USGS their experiences of weak to light shaking in the area.

According to USGS, a 3.4 magnitude quake is generally not strong enough to cause damage, though that can depend upon the exact epicenter and the type of structures around it.

Just hours before the earthquake, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of DeKalb County as well as the Chicago area as severe thunderstorms moved through the area.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post alerted residents that the shaking that may have woken them was in fact "just" an earthquake, and not related to earlier storms.

NWS Chicago said strong to severe thunderstorms are expected again Monday evening, presenting renewed flash flooding risks in areas that saw heavy rain and flooding over the past two nights, though the "primary concern" will be destructive winds.

—TMX contributed to this post.