Weather timeline: Multiple rounds of severe weather possible in Chicago area

The Chicago area could see multiple rounds of severe weather this week, with gusty winds, damaging hail and isolated tornadoes all possible with the storms.

According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, the first round of severe weather could occur early Wednesday morning, and a second, more powerful round could develop late Wednesday morning and stick around the area until the afternoon hours.

The Storm Prediction Center has slotted the Chicago area at an “enhanced” risk of severe storms in that later round, with wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour, hail of one-inch in diameter, and isolated tornadoes all possible.

Here is a full breakdown of what we could see in coming days.

Tuesday Evening:

After a mostly dry day, rain slowly starts to build across the Chicago area, though it isn’t expected to be heavy initially due to the dry atmospheric conditions, according to the NBC 5 Storm team.

Temperatures are expected to top out in the upper-40s across the area, slightly below average for this time of year in the Chicago area.

Tuesday Night/Wednesday Morning:

Showers and storms become more widespread across the area and gain in intensity, with heavy rain possible at times into the late evening on Tuesday.

Storms are expected to continue firing into Wednesday morning, and that’s when the area could see its first threat of severe weather, with the Storm Prediction Center putting the entirety of the Chicago area at a “marginal” risk of severe storms, the first of five levels that show how likely it is a severe storm will form within a 25-mile radius of a given point.

The main threat with the early storms will be hail, which could reach up to one-inch, or roughly the size of a quarter, in diameter.

Gusty winds of up to 60 miles per hour are also possible with any severe storms that develop.

Wednesday Late Morning/Afternoon:  

After a brief respite, another round of showers and thunderstorms is expected to speed across the Chicago area late Wednesday morning and into the afternoon hours, and if the area sees sunshine after daybreak, it could add some extra fuel to those storms.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, the Chicago area will be at an “enhanced risk” of severe weather, the third of five levels on their scale.

The main threats with those storms would be gusty winds in excess of 60 miles per hour, but damaging hail could once again occur, and there is a non-zero chance of isolated tornadoes as well, according to the SPC.

Those storms will likely stick around the area into the late afternoon before beginning to move into Michigan and Ohio.

Wednesday Evening:

A final round of showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms will be possible in the evening hours, but the severe weather threat will have likely died down by that point in the night as the atmosphere becomes more stabilized and as temperatures begin to cool.

Temperatures will slowly fall into the 50s, paving the way for cooler readings as the rest of the week unfolds.

Thursday:

Dry conditions are expected to dominate the forecast on Thursday, with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50s. This could be the best weather the area sees for the remainder of the week, according to forecast models.

Friday:

The day should be mostly dry, with high temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s, but the chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm could re-enter the forecast in the late evening hours, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.

Saturday:

A chance of showers will persist throughout the day on Saturday, though severe weather is not expected due to the cooler conditions, as high temperatures will be in the low-50s across the region.

Sunday:

Another chance of showers will be in the forecast for Sunday, with temperatures cooling slightly again as they drop into the upper-40s or low-50s, according to forecast models.

Those temperatures will be below average for the area, with the city of Chicago usually experiencing highs in the mid-50s by this time of year.