Chicago weather: Storms possible tonight ahead of big weekend cooldown

Published April 18, 2025 1:49 PM CDT

Friday’s shaping up to be partly to mostly cloudy, with highs in the low to mid 80s—cooler in the 70s if you're north of Chicago. It’ll be a breezy one, with wind gusts around 30 to 40 mph.

What we know:

We're keeping a close eye on the evening and overnight hours. There’s a chance for strong to severe storms between about 7 p.m. and midnight. Most of the area is under a slight risk for severe weather—that's a level 2 out of 5. Damaging wind, hail, and even a tornado can’t be ruled out. Be sure you have multiple ways to get alerts, just in case.

What's next:

Here's what you can expect for the holiday weekend and early next week.

Saturday: Rain is possible, especially south of Chicago. It’ll be much cooler, with highs only in the upper 40s and mostly cloudy skies.

Easter Sunday: Expect mostly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 50s. There’s a chance for rain in the afternoon and storms could roll in by Sunday night.

Monday: Some rain possible in the morning, with highs near 60 and mostly cloudy conditions.

Tuesday: We finally get a bit of sunshine—highs in the upper 60s with mostly sunny skies, but rain could return Tuesday night.

Wednesday: Partly sunny and warmer, with highs in the low to mid 70s.

The Source: Details for this report were provided by Fox 32 meteorologist Kaitlin Cody.

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