We hope you didn’t pack away your blankets and slippers just yet, because while temperatures are going to be positively balmy on Friday, things are expected to change dramatically over the weekend.
According to the latest forecast models, temperatures Friday will certainly feel like summer, with highs soaring into the mid-to-upper 80s across the Chicago area.
The good times won’t last long, however, as a cold front slowly churns its way toward the region. In fact, radar images from the early afternoon show just how quickly things are going to cool off, as some western portions of Illinois will see the mercury plunge into the 60s as the front pushes through.
That front could potentially cause some thunderstorms to develop, but as the week has gone along, forecast models have lost their confidence that severe weather could result, thanks to an inversion layer that could prevent the upward development of strong-to-severe storms.
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That being said, the region still remains under a “marginal” severe weather risk for Friday, with any storms that do develop potentially packing winds of up to 50 miles per hour along with small hail and heavy rain.
That inversion layer could potentially break up in the overnight hours into Saturday, with showers and thunderstorms expected to fire throughout the day to start out the weekend.
Along with that rain will come significantly cooler temperatures, with highs only reaching into the 60s on Saturday.
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As the cold front finally exits the area, temperatures could be even cooler on Sunday, with highs struggling to reach 60 degrees in some parts of the region.
According to extended forecast models, that weather pattern could stick around for quite a while, with highs only expected to reach into the 60s through most of the coming work week.
Showers will also return to the forecast on Tuesday, with chances of rain lingering through at least Thursday morning.
With some of the uncertainty surrounding the forecast for Friday, be sure to download the NBC 5 app and keep up with the NBC 5 Storm Team both on TV and on social media.
