Chicago weather: Storms possible tonight ahead of big weekend cooldown

Chicago weather: Storms possible Friday night, big weekend cooldown ahead

Fox 32 meteorologist Kaitlin Cody has your Friday afternoon forecast. Strong to severe storms are possible Friday night with damaging winds, hail, and a tornado risk, followed by a sharp cooldown and highs in the 40s on Saturday.

CHICAGO - 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.