A wind advisory remains in effect through 5 p.m. on a warm, cloudy day before a rapid cooldown to finish the weekend.
St. Patrick's Day celebrations are here in Chicago, but those attending Saturday morning's Chicago River dyeing should be prepared for gusty winds that have persisted from overnight storms.
Though a high wind warning was initially issued for Saturday morning, this has since been downgraded to a wind advisory, with wind advisories remaining in place until 5 p.m. this afternoon.
According to the National Weather Service, haze and wildfire smoke from Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri has drifted into the area and filtered out some of the sun's warmth, not allowing the necessary air for the expected winds to materialize.
After near record-high temperatures Friday, daytime temperatures remain well above average on Saturday, with highs reaching into the low-to-mid 60s.
While temperatures are likely to stay steady in the low 60s for much of the day, winds will be the primary element to prepare for if you're spending time outdoors Saturday.
Wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour are expected this morning, bringing gusty conditions to the Chicago River dyeing.
Though a wind advisory remains in effect until 5 p.m., wind gusts are likely to lessen to 30 to 40 miles per hour in the afternoon hours.
Local
As of 9:15 a.m. Saturday, just over 5,000 ComEd customers in Illinois remained without power, though many of the outages are north and west of the Chicago area.
The continued wind advisory will also coincide with the Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade, which is slated to step off downtown at 12 p.m.
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While high winds and above average temperatures will dominate much of Saturday, a significant but brief cooldown follows the dangerous winds in the Chicago area.
Rain showers are likely to begin to develop Saturday night, which is expected to transition into snow by Sunday morning.
The mercury is anticipated to drop into the low 30s, creating cold enough conditions for snow accumulation on grass and elevated surfaces.
Skies are likely to clear by Sunday afternoon, but highs aren't expected to exceed the low 40s as northwesterly winds of up to 25 miles per hour are possible.
The temperature whiplash continues into next week, with highs back in the mid 50s on Monday and in the mid-to-upper 60s by Tuesday.
