From 70 degrees, to the possibility of golf ball-sized hailstones and then snow: Wild weather is on the horizon for the Chicago area, starting with high temperatures that could become the warmest on record in Chicago during the winter.
“We're in for quite the wild meteorological ride, with summer (record warmth), spring (severe storms?), and winter (snow/cold) weather coming up in the next 24 hours!” A tweet from the National Weather Service said.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, temperatures early Tuesday were already warm, with readings in the upper 50s across the region. That number is about 20 degrees warmer than it was early Monday morning, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said.
As the day goes on, temperatures will continue to rise. By 12 p.m., the temperature in the Chicago area is expected to reach 73 degrees. At about 2 p.m., the city is expected to reach a record high of 76 degrees, Roman said.
“The current record of 75 degrees was set in 1976,” Roman said. “76 will be the warmest February temperature ever recorded, and a meteorological winter in Chicago.
Roman said that after reaching the expected height, temperatures will begin to drop, and the chances of severe thunderstorms will begin.
“If you want to go out and enjoy it, do it before 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.,” Roman said of the expected timing of the storm.
Around that time and into the evening, the entire Chicago area will be under a “slight” risk of severe weather, which ranks at Level 2 of Level 5 on the Storm Prediction Center's severe weather scale. If storms develop, the biggest threats they carry are gusty and damaging winds of up to 60 mph, large hail and more, Roman said.
“There may be an isolated tornado threat if all the elements come together,” Roman said, adding that storms coming from the west are expected to be scattered and not region-wide.
Roman said that these storms are expected to move in around 10 p.m., followed by falling temperatures and the possibility of snowfall.
Cold air is expected to move in overnight, along with precipitation and a light layer of snow, mostly in northwest and northwestern Illinois. Temperatures early Wednesday will be in the 20s to 30s, with wind chills remaining in the teens, Roman said.
Snow is expected to fall by 8 a.m. After that, a cold and windy day will begin, with afternoon temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s, Roman said.
“June to January,” Roman said of the dramatic shift in temperatures and weather conditions.
Roman said the cold air will be short-lived. By Thursday, temperatures will begin to rise again, with highs in the mid 40s. Friday will see temperatures in the 50s, followed by temperatures in the low to mid 60s by the end of the week, Roman said.
