With heavy downpours, lightning, dense fog, some small hail and a thunderstorm racing through the region early Thursday morning, there's no doubt that the spring season has officially hit Chicago.
Though Thursday afternoon is expected to dry out, the weather forecast for the morning commute is looking soggy and slippery. Friday and into the weekend, another storm system is set to move across the area, with colder temperatures, spotty showers, and a chance of snow in some parts.
As you look for your rain boots and umbrellas, here's a breakdown from the NBC 5 Storm of the weather forecast for Thursday and into the weekend.
Thursday Weather Forecast
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According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, scattered showers and a few storms area-wide are expected to continue as the sun comes up and into the daylight hours. However, steadier rain and showers are predicted to gradually come to end around 7 a.m., forecast models show, with some drizzle sticking around for the morning commute.
Thursday afternoon will see drier conditions, although some patchy drizzle is expected to linger as the weather pattern continues to move eastward. And though the rain may be coming to an end, the NBC 5 Storm Team reports gusty winds, cloudy skies and colder air will move in, with temperatures falling to the upper 30s to low 40s.
Friday, Weekend Forecast
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Those cloudy skies and chilly temperatures are expected to remain into Friday, with highs temperatures in the low-to-mid 40s. And though Friday morning is likely to remain dry with some peeks of sunshine, another storm system is expected to move in by Friday evening.
Much of that rain will around 5 p.m. fall to the south and west, with some spotty showers across the Chicago area, the NBC 5 Storm Team says.
That system will remain in the region overnight and into Saturday, forecast models show, with temperatures again falling, and the chance for a rain and snow mix to the north and west.
Accumulations however, are expected to be in the form of a dusting in the Chicago area, with less than an inch predicted to fall. Closer to the Wisconsin border however, snow totals could be higher. Early estimates indicate 1-3 inches of snow is possible across the far northern counties, though those numbers are subject to change, the NBC 5 Storm Team says.
The good news: conditions Sunday are expected to be drier, brighter and warmer, with high temperatures in the upper 40s.
