Chicago weather: Smoke, heat and possible severe storms
CHICAGO - Smoke and storms. No, that’s not the title of my third album. It does sum up the weather pretty much for the next 24 hours or so.
Smoke, storms and heat target Chicagoland
Let’s start with the air quality, which is not good once again.
Most of Chicagoland is deemed to have air that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, but there are some areas in the red zone which would be unhealthy for everyone. That will likely continue until rain moves in and winds shift.
Canadian wildfire smoke keeps air quality unhealthy across parts of Chicagoland
An air quality alert remains in effect as smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers over northern Illinois, prompting health officials to urge sensitive groups to stay indoors or wear an N95 or KN95 mask outside.
Monday will be very warm with highs possibly flirting with 90 this afternoon. Humidity levels will also be on the increase. And then we await thunderstorms. Those could be severe with all hazards in play — particularly damaging straight-line winds. Prime time for this activity will be after 5 p.m. and they may come in two separate waves continuing into the overnight hours.
There remains the very real possibility, however, that the bulk of the storms end up missing our viewing area. Any shower and thunderstorm activity should be over by daybreak Tuesday.
What's next:
Tomorrow will be partly sunny and not as warm with highs in the lower 80s. Even cooler air is on the way Wednesday with mostly sunny skies and highs in the 70s.
The rest of the week will feature a warming trend that will get us back into the 80s starting Friday, rising into the low 90s by Sunday.
The Source: The information in this forecast came from FOX Chicago's Mike Caplan.