Chicago weather: Strong to severe storms today followed by accumulating snow overnight and Monday
Chicago weather: Strong to severe storms today followed by accumulating snow overnight and Monday
Fox Chicago's Emily Wahls has the latest forecast.
CHICAGO - A cold front is charging through Chicagoland this afternoon, quickly dropping temperatures from the 60s into the 30s.
Rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening, but the main timeframe for any severe thunderstorms will be from roughly 4 PM to 9 PM.
LIVE UPDATES:
- Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Hammond IN, Gary IN and Highland IN until 7:00 PM CDT
- SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH has been issued for Kankakee, Lake (IN), Porter, LaPorte, Newton, Jasper until 1 AM.
The Storm Prediction Center has most of Chicagoland in a Slight Risk, which is a level 2 of 5. The primary concern with any storms that become severe will be for damaging wind gusts, but an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. The highest threat for severe storms looks to be near and south of I-80.
RELATED: Ground stop issued at O'Hare, Midway airports due to storms tonight
Following any strong to severe thunderstorms late this afternoon and evening, all attention will quickly turn to the wintry weather on the way. Rain will transition to snow tonight, and impacts on the Monday morning commute are expected.
A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for McHenry, Lake (IL), DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, northern Cook, LaSalle, and Kendall Counties for generally 1–3" of snow and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. The Advisory goes into effect at 10 PM this evening through 1 PM Monday.
Monday looks cold and blustery with high temperatures in the 30s at midnight, dropping into the 20s by daybreak. Temperatures will stay in the lower 20s through the day with wind chills in the single digits. On and off snow will continue through Monday evening.
Temperatures plummet into the single digits to near 10 degrees Monday night and early Tuesday. Wind chills will likely drop below zero early Tuesday morning. Plan for partly to mostly cloudy skies on Tuesday with highs in the low to mid 20s.
Warmer air is set to arrive on Wednesday with highs in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees. There is a chance for light snow in the morning, but skies will dry out during the day with some sunshine in the afternoon.
Temperatures warm to the low 50s on Thursday under partly cloudy skies, and then we should be near 60 by Friday.