Chicago and northeastern Illinois are expected to see destructive winds and more lightning Monday.
Storms with “frequent lightning” and wind gusts greater than 75 miles per hour could hit Chicago and other nearby towns north of I-80 sometime between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
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Meteorologists also expect “damaging hail” alongside a low risk of flash flooding as a cold front comes in from Iowa. Towns south of I-80 in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana could feel the potentially severe storms between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
“A brief tornado or two cannot be ruled out,” the NWS wrote.
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Where exactly the strongest storms will hit was still uncertain Monday morning, NWS meteorologist Zachary Yack told the Tribune.
“Constantly monitor weather today. This stuff can evolve very quickly,” Yack said. Dangerous wind gusts are expected to top off around 80 miles an hour, he added.
Before storms end in the late evening, Chicago could see temperatures as high as 89 degrees, with night lows set in the mid-60s.
The inclement weather follows similar Sunday storms.
The Sacred Rose music festival in Bridgeview was paused twice Sunday because of the storms. When lightning struck nearby again on Sunday night, organizers decided to call off the rest of the alternative music festival.
[ Sacred Rose opens with Tweedy, Lesh & Friends and a Deadhead-esque crowd as eclectic as the music ]
Headline sets from major alternative artists like Khruangbin and Kamasi Washington were canceled.
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“We did everything within our control to keep the music going given the rocky weather, but the safety of the fans, artists and team producing the event is of the highest importance,” festival organizers wrote on Twitter.
But music lovers who lost out can start to look forward to next weekend’s Chicago Jazz Fest.
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“We’re looking at a dry, fairly pleasant rest of the week,” Yack said.
The forecast through the upcoming Labor Day weekend predicts no rain and moderate temperatures, with highs in the mid and low 80s, and lows around 60 degrees, alongside plenty of sunshine.
“We just got to get through today unfortunately,” Yack said.
jsheridan@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @jakesheridan_
