The quiet Tuesday weather won’t last long as a storm system is poised to hit Chicago Wednesday morning.
After Tuesday’s breezes and relatively mild temperatures, with a forecast high of 37 degrees for the city, the incoming system is expected to bring thunderstorms, freezing rain accumulation and a major downpour across various parts of Chicagoland, according to the National Weather Service.
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Millions across the country will be affected by the storm system’s extreme winter weather. More than 8 inches of snow is likely in parts of southern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and Michigan.
Fortunately, Chicago itself is in the “sweet spot,” weather service meteorologist Kevin Doom said. The freezing rain is expected to hit north, closer to the Illinois-Wisconsin state line, and thunderstorms are expected in the south, while the city is set to experience “a very healthy rain,” Doom said.
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The brunt of the Wednesday storm should arrive in the latter part of the morning through the afternoon, Doom said. The storm is expected to bring wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. Chicago is not expected to get significant snowfall, but the city is forecast to receive over an inch of rain.
“We are expecting a pretty darn good amount of rain,” Doom said.
Near the Illinois-Wisconsin state line, temperatures around or below freezing are expected to cause freezing rain. The downpour could lead to a “very concerning accumulation,” Doom said. The freezing rain could hit Chicago as well, but is less likely to in part because of warmer ground temperatures, he added.
Dry weather should return Thursday along with more mild temperatures. Temperatures are expected to jump to 45 in Chicago and could soar up to 60 degrees south of I-55, according to the weather service. Strong winds are expected Thursday afternoon, with gusts nearing 50 miles per hour possible, Doom said.
Temperatures are then expected to drop into the midteens Thursday night and remain near freezing Friday before a drier weekend with mild temperatures, he said.
The New York Times contributed
jsheridan@chicagotribune.com
