Chicago weather: Near-freezing morning gives way to 70s and possible storms

Chicago weather: Tuesday morning forecast

Fox Chicago Meteorologist Mike Caplan breaks down today's weather outlook.

CHICAGO - It was cold enough for temperatures around freezing in parts of Lake and McHenry County early this morning.

When I left my house, it was 32°. The majority of Chicagoland is nowhere near that cold, but it is a chilly start to what will end up being a much warmer day. 

Chicago weather forecast

What to know:

Highs will range from 70 in the far north to near 80 in the far-southern Chicago area. Breezes will pick up out of the southwest and a few showers will move in during the early afternoon. 

A couple of thunderstorms will be possible, but it appears that a second wave of showers and storms will develop during the early evening. These would be most likely south of the city and exiting our viewing area before 11 p.m.

Weather outlook

What's next:

Tomorrow will be cooler with mostly cloudy skies. Highs will be in the low 60s but cooler near the lake. 

Thursday should feature a little more sunshine with temperatures getting into the mid 60s, once again cooler near the lake.

Our pattern flip begins on Friday when temperatures will move back into the 70s. There will be a chance for a few showers, but it won’t be an all-day rain. 

The weekend could potentially be very warm with highs well into the 80s. The inhibiting factor would be shower activity, particularly Saturday night and Sunday. We will finesse the timing of that as the date draws closer.