The Chicago area could go from some of the warmest February temperatures ever recorded to seeing accumulating snow in a matter of hours Tuesday and into Wednesday.
According to forecasts from the NBC 5 Storm Team, things will get started with temperatures that could threaten the warmest ever seen in the month of February. The forecast high for Tuesday is currently 75 degrees, which would equal the record set on Feb. 27, 1976, according to the National Weather Service.
That temperature is currently warmest recorded in the month of February since record-keeping resumed in 1874, according to officials.
Shortly after high temperatures are recorded Tuesday afternoon, a front will start having a massive influence on the Chicago area, starting with a marginal threat of severe weather.
Those thunderstorms could pack wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, and could also produce hail up to two inches in diameter, according to the Storm Prediction Center. There is also a threat of isolated tornadoes as part of that storm system, according to forecast models.
Then, just as quickly as those storms arrive, they will move out of the area ahead of a dramatic cold front, which will push through and rapidly drop temperatures late Tuesday and into Wednesday morning.
There will still be precipitation falling in association with that front, and according to the latest forecast models from the NBC 5 Storm Team, anywhere from 1-to-3 inches of snow could potentially fall by noon on Wednesday, with heavier accumulations west of the Chicago area.
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It is unclear how much of that snow will stick on roadways or other surfaces, but a guaranteed impact will come thanks to the dramatic cold, with temperatures falling into the 20s by Wednesday morning. Wind chills will be even colder, settling into the teens or even the single-digits in some locations.
The recovery time will be a bit longer after that system moves through, with temps warming back into the 40s by Thursday. Then the warmth will accelerate, with highs climbing back into the 60s by Saturday and even threatening 70 degrees in some locations by Sunday.
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