Tuesday will be tank-top weather as the Chicago area is expected to either tie or break the record for the warmest temperature ever recorded in the city for February -- or meteorological winter, for that matter.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, Chicago's record-high temperature of 75 degrees for Feb. 27 was set in 1976. So far, that temperature is the warmest the city has hit in winter. Tuesday's forecast high, of 76 degrees, could break that.
"Tuesday's temperature could be the warmest ever in Chicago for February," NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, temperatures early Tuesday were already warm, with readings in the upper 50s areawide. That's approximately 20 degrees warmer than it was early Monday morning, NBC 5 meteorologist Alicia Roman said.
As the day goes on, those temperatures will continue to climb. By 12 p.m., the Chicago area is expected to hit 73 degrees. At around 2 p.m., the city is expected to hit that record-breaking forecast high of 76 degrees, Roman said.
From there though, things will start to go downhill.
Local
"It's back to January tomorrow," Roman said, as a strong cold front is expected to pass through Tuesday evening.
According to the National Weather Service, the "powerful" cold front will move quickly Tuesday night, producing a rapid temperature drop and blustery conditions.
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"A brief period of gusts over 50 mph are possible, immediately behind the front," the NWS said, adding that the temperature change between Tuesday and Wednesday will be "nothing short of dramatic."
"After summer-like temperatures in the 70s today, tomorrow morning's wind chill near or below zero will feel absolutely brutal," the NWS stressed.
The temperature drop will begin to set in by evening, with temperatures plummeting to the 20s by Wednesday morning, with wind chills in the teens. Overnight, a "quick shot of snow" producing some accumulations is possible, the NWS said.
If snow does fall, ice and snow-covered roads are possible, leading to a potentially slick and slippery Wednesday morning commute.
Temperatures Wednesday afternoon are expected to remain in the 20s and 30s, Roman said. But before the tumble, storms are expected to move in, some with the potential to be severe.
Severe weather possible Tuesday
Weather conditions will begin to shift late Tuesday, forecast models show, with rain and storms moving in by afternoon.
"If you want to get out and enjoy, do it before 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.," Roman said, of the expected storm timing.
Around that time and through evening, the entire Chicago area will be under a "slight" risk of severe weather, which ranks as level two of five on the Storm Prediction Center's severe weather scale. If storms do develop, Roman said, the biggest threats they carry are gusty, damaging winds of up to 60 miles-per-hour, large hail and more.
"Maybe an isolated tornado threat if all the elements come together," Roman said, adding that storms moving in from the west are expected to be scattered rather than areawide.
Between 10 p.m. and midnight, those storms are expected to move out, Roman said, followed by plummeting temperatures and the potential for snow.
NWS acknowledged the roller-coaster forecast, referring to it as an "absolutely wild meteorological ride" crammed into the next 24-hours.
