The Chicago area can expect a pleasant Sunday afternoon, but multiple chances of rain loom this week, including a severe thunderstorm threat Monday.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, a wide swath of the area is at a “slight” risk of severe weather Monday night, with large hail and damaging winds the main threats, along with a small chance of tornadoes.
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WATCH HEREBefore that threat arrives, Sunday is expected to feature gorgeous weather, with partly-to-mostly sunny skies and temperatures near 70 degrees across most of the area. Gentle winds are also in the forecast, with breezes around 10-to-15 miles per hour.
Parts of the Chicago area near Lake Michigan will be a bit cooler however, according to forecast models.
After lows overnight sink into the mid-50s, Monday is expected to be even warmer and still mostly sunny, with the exception of a chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm in the early morning hours. High temperatures will likely rise into the low-80s, and winds will continue to increase, with gusts in excess of 30 miles per hour possible.
Those conditions will be conducive to the development of strong-to-severe thunderstorms out to the west of the Chicago area. According to the Storm Prediction Center, a wide swath of the upper Midwest, including eastern Minnesota, most of Iowa and western Wisconsin, is at a “moderate” risk of severe weather, the fourth of five levels of thunderstorms forecast by the SPC.
The main threats in those areas will be large hail, with a chance of hailstones two inches in diameter or larger (roughly the size of a lime or a hen egg, according to the National Weather Service), as well as damaging winds and a significant chance of dangerous EF-2 or stronger tornadoes in that area. An EF-2 tornado features wind gusts of up to 135 miles per hour, according to the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
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In the Chicago area, the SPC has most of Illinois at a “slight” risk of severe weather, the second of the five forecast levels. The threats are mostly the same, with gusty winds and hailstones of an inch or more in diameter possible, though a tornado cannot be ruled out in the area.
The question will be whether or not the thunderstorms will stay together long enough to reach the region, as their arrival time wouldn’t come until very late in the night Monday or even early Tuesday morning, according to forecast models.
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SIGN UP If the storms aren’t quite as strong, gusty winds could still occur, along with some rain according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Tuesday will likely see readings into the low-70s, and things will get a bit cooler on Wednesday, with highs dipping into the low-60s, according to forecast models.
Thursday will see the chance for rain return to the forecast, with showers and storms possible across the area. High temperatures are expected to reach into the mid-60s, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
More pleasant weather is expected next weekend, with high temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s and partly-to-mostly sunny skies.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest weather news and information, and be sure to download the NBC Chicago app for real-time weather alerts sent directly to your phone, along with live radar images of approaching storms.
