Elements will battle as Chicagoland sees rain showers, blustery winds and risk of fire Thursday. Temperatures will then reach freezing levels into the night, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s a busy day. There’s a lot going on,” meteorologist Brian Leatherwood said.
Scattered rain will cover areas north of I-80 in the afternoon and evening hours. Leatherwood said that some showers might contain graupel, or soft hail, and that wind gusts will reach up to 40 miles per hour.
“The winds will be a challenge everywhere today,” Leatherwood said. “Those winds up to around 25 to 30 miles per hour outside of any showers that might occur. That’s just straight line winds and that’s going to kick in later on this morning.”
[ Fall in Chicago: Here’s when to expect the first freeze and snowfall. ]
The risk of fire will mainly threaten areas south of I-80 in the afternoon due to dry weather and gusty winds, though the risk will reduce as winds ease and humidity levels increase in the evening.
As the night settles in, areas around Chicago will reach freezing temperatures into Friday morning. Meteorologists recommend covering sensitive outdoor plants or bringing them indoors to prevent them from dying.
Leatherwood and his colleagues were discussing whether to issue a freeze watch or warning — which depends on meteorologists’ confidence on subfreezing temperatures increasing or not.
