Editor's Note: Our updated weather story for Tuesday, Feb. 27 can be found here. Our original story continues below.
The summery temperatures the Chicago area could see Tuesday are going to come at a high price, as the entire region is under a “slight” risk of severe weather.
That rating, a 2-of-5 on the Storm Prediction Center’s scale, indicates that the area could see powerful thunderstorms in the afternoon and into the evening hours, with the potential for large hail and even tornadoes in the forecast.
That “marginal” risk area includes every county in NBC Chicago’s viewing area, with McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Cook, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties all included. Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper are also included.
According to officials, there is a chance of damaging thunderstorm winds, with gusts potentially exceeding 55 miles per hour at times.
The threat also exists for large hail, some of which could be up to two inches in diameter. According to the National Weather Service, that hail could be larger than a golf ball, roughly the size of a large egg.
Finally, the threat for tornadoes also exists, according to forecast models.
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The rough timeline of events could get started as soon as 4 p.m., with the weather sweeping across the area ahead of a sharp cold front that will rapidly drop temperatures heading into Wednesday.
In fact, wind chills could plunge into the teens on Wednesday, with a burst of snow possible on the backside of the front as it drops temperatures.
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Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest weather updates and information.
