March 29 Update: Our latest weather story can be found here. Our original story continues below.
It may be spring, but winter is still fighting a battle to stick around in the Chicago area, with the chance for snow and severe thunderstorms both potentially looming in the forecast in the days ahead.
While Tuesday will remain sunny for most of the day, Wednesday will start to see some clouds building into the region, and cold air blowing off of Lake Michigan could help fuel some snow showers in the northern suburbs and even in the city of Chicago itself Wednesday morning.
National Weather Service officials are advising residents to keep an eye on road conditions in the morning, which could cause some slick spots during the morning commute.
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That snow will clear out relatively quickly, but residents won’t be able to put their parkas away just yet.
Thursday will see a low-pressure system slowly building into the Chicago area, bringing some rain to the region in the late afternoon and early evening hours. Some thunderstorms could also be possible during this time, according to the Storm Prediction Center, but that is merely the first round of what is to come.
More showers and storms could develop early Friday morning across the area, and after some brief clearing, high temperatures are going to soar into the mid-to-upper 60s across the area, according to forecast models.
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Those warmer temperatures will have the consequence of fueling more thunderstorms in the afternoon hours, with the Storm Prediction Center currently forecasting a 15% chance of severe weather in most of eastern Illinois and nearly all of Indiana.
Parts of western and central Illinois are at an even-higher risk of severe weather Friday, with the SPC currently pinning that number at 30%.
In the days to come, the SPC will add more clarity to those forecasts, identifying potential threats and classifying the chances of severe weather into one of their five categories, ranging from “marginal to high.”
A front is going to cause temperatures to drop rapidly into Saturday, with a possibility of some mixed precipitation or even snow showers to occur during that time.
Things will clear by the afternoon however, with a dry weekend on tap as temperatures rise back into the 50s by Sunday.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team’s latest forecasts on the NBC Chicago app, available via the Apple App Store or the Google Play market. You can also check our forecasts on our 24/7 Streaming News channel.
