Chances of showers and storms—with the possibility of “brief tornadoes” are expected for the Chicago area on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said, with the stormy weather leading into a drier and sunnier long holiday weekend.
A “complicated system” brewing over central Illinois Wednesday morning is expected to drift toward the greater Chicago area as the day progresses and with it will come rain, a few storms and a threat of a few brief tornadoes, said National Weather Service Chicago meteorologist Zachary Yack.
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There’s a slight chance the whole area would see tornadoes touchdown, but conditions are more favorable for touchdowns south and east of I-55, in areas like Joliet, Kankakee and Gary, Yack said. The threat of tornadoes is expected between 2 and 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Throughout the day, chances of showers and storms are around 50 and 60 percent, with highs in the low-to-mid 70s across most of the area, and lows in the low-to-mid 60s.
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No tornadoes are expected Thursday as of now, but the chances for rain and scattered storms is greater at around 70 percent, with highs similar to Wednesday and lows a bit cooler in the low-to-mid 50s.
Wet and stormy conditions are expected to start tapering off slightly Thursday evening, with showers gradually coming to an end Friday evening, Yack said. Friday is also the coolest day of the week’s forecast with highs in the mid-to-late 60s and lows in the lower 50s, with some areas off to the north in the upper 40s.
The cool won’t stick for long, however, as temperatures will warm back up into the 70s on Saturday, and 80s on Sunday, with mostly sunny skies and some breeze for the Memorial Day weekend.
