Chicago's weather forecast Wednesday calls for another unseasonably warm day, but a cold front bringing rain and thunderstorm chances looms over the area Thursday.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, some of those storms have the potential to become severe.
Wednesday morning starts out cloudy, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said, with a slight chance for showers through the early afternoon. Temperatures Wednesday will range widely, Roman said, with highs in the low 70s inland, to 50s and 60s along the lake.
By afternoon, Roman added, temperatures along the lake look to turn even cooler.
Temperatures will remain on the cooler side for the rest of the week and through the weekend, Roman said, with highs in the 50s Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and a dip into the 40s Sunday. Monday looks to be even colder Roman said, with temperatures reaching only into the 30s.
"Maybe a few snow flakes to fall Monday morning," Roman said, noting that a high of 39 degrees was expected.
Rain, storm chances Wednesday night, Thursday
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Early Wednesday, some parts of the area could see showers, Roman said, with low-end rain and thunderstorm chances continuing into Wednesday evening.
"A few isolated thunderstorms are possible this afternoon mainly north of I-88 across far Northern Illinois," an alert from the National Weather Service said.
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A better chance for rain and storms to move in comes after midnight, the NWS added.
"Scattered thunderstorms are likely after midnight tonight," the NWS said. "While no severe weather is expected overnight, the strongest storms could produce small hail."
By Thursday morning, more scattered storms are expected across the area, Roman said.
"By this time tomorrow morning, we may even have a thunderstorm passing through," Roman said in the 5 a.m. hour. "Some areas look pretty soggy for the morning commute."
By Thursday afternoon, showers are expected to lift northward, though most areas could still see showers and storms. One or two of those storms have the chance of being on the severe side, Roman said.
"Some of these storms could be severe with hail to the size of quarters and wind gusts to 60 mph," the NWS said.
According to Roman, the severe weather threat could diminish as the day goes on.
The Storm Prediction Center shows parts to the south and southwest under a "slight" risk of severe weather, which ranks as level two of five on the SPC's severe weather scale. Most of the Chicago area Thursday however is under a "marginal" severe weather risk, which ranks as level one of five.
A look ahead to Chicago's extended forecast can be found here.
