Labor Day weekend is off to a warm start in the city of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, but a bit of a change is on the way thanks to a cold front approaching from the north that will bring cooler temps and the chance for showers and thunderstorms Saturday.
According to forecast models, the front will beginning sweeping south out of Wisconsin this afternoon, bringing with it the chance for widely-scattered showers and thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service says that the tallest storms generated by the front could potentially bring frequent lightning, but more importantly could bring torrential downpours that could cause some localized flooding with the slow-moving system.
In addition, a beach hazard statement will go into effect on Saturday afternoon, with winds whipping around a low-pressure system in a counter-clockwise fashion. Those winds will push down the shores of Lake Michigan, causing rip currents and high waves that could make swimming hazardous at beaches from Lake County in Illinois all the way to Porter County in Indiana.
That beach hazard could remain in effect through Sunday afternoon, throwing a wrench into the final weekend of open-swimming at Chicago beaches.
High temperatures Saturday are expected to reach the mid-80s across much of the area, but the front will start to bring those readings down a bit in the late afternoon and early evening hours.
By Sunday, the front will have moved through, and skies will begin to clear for a pleasant day, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Some showers are possible south of Interstate 80 at times thanks to another weather system, but that too should move from the region by the time Labor Day rolls around.
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A much-calmer weather pattern is expected to take hold, with highs in the low-80s and sunny skies expected for a good chunk of the coming work week.
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