The old saying ‘March comes in like a lion’ could apply to Chicago’s forecast, which includes chances for both thunderstorms and snow in coming days.
While Monday will be mostly dry across the area, clouds will continue to move in and rain is expected to begin overnight, with some embedded thunderstorms possible during the overnight hours and into Tuesday.
The Storm Prediction Center says that the main threat of severe weather will be well to the south of the Chicago area, but does indicate that thunderstorms could be in the forecast late Monday, well into Tuesday and even into Wednesday morning before temperatures cool enough to get the precipitation to transition to snow.
Rainfall totals by Thursday morning could exceed one inch in most of the area, with parts of the Chicago area along Interstate 80 and to the south of the highway potentially seeing the highest precipitation levels, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
The bulk of the rain is expected to hit the area on Tuesday, with persistent showers, some downpours and even a risk of some localized flooding all in the forecast.
Temperatures Tuesday will likely settle into the low-50s across the area, and highs will hit that level again on Wednesday before a dramatic drop occurs in the late morning and into the afternoon.
That drop in temperatures could cause any remaining rain associated with the passing low-pressure system to transition over to snow, though accumulations aren’t expected. Roadways could become slick however, and motorists will be urged to drive with caution in the afternoon and evening hours.
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By Thursday temperatures are expected to cool into the low-40s or perhaps the upper-30s, where they will remain for several days, according to forecast models.
After the weekend wraps up, those temperatures are expected to increase dramatically, with highs approaching 60 degrees on Monday and rising into the low-to-mid 60s toward the middle of the week, with partly-to-mostly sunny skies in the forecast for the start of the new work week.
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