The Chicago area is having a quiet weekend on the weather front, but things are going to change dramatically Monday.
“Multiple rounds” of severe thunderstorms are possible in the area on Monday, with the entire region at an “enhanced” risk of severe weather, with tornadoes and damaging winds possible, along with some flooding and elevated water levels on already flooded rivers.
Before those storms arrive, Sunday will be a quiet day in the area, starting out with low clouds and eventually clearing into a partly-to-mostly sunny day across the region, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
High temperatures in the city and along Lake Michigan will be in the upper-50s and low-60s, with slightly warmer temperatures inland.
Clouds will begin increasing overnight as a storm system approaches the Chicago area, and the first round of showers and thunderstorms could arrive just after daybreak, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
What happens next will largely depend on how widespread and strong those storms end up becoming, according to the National Weather Service.
If the storms are powerful enough, it could end up driving the approaching warm front south of the Chicago area, meaning that the region may see a diminished chance of severe weather later in the day. If the storms are isolated, the atmosphere will remain unsettled enough to pave the way for even stronger thunderstorms in the afternoon and into the early evening hours.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, the entire Chicago area will be at an “enhanced” risk of severe weather, the third of five levels the SPC uses to determine the likelihood of powerful storms.
The concern in the forecast is the possibility of discrete supercell thunderstorms developing, which could generate tornadoes and large, damaging hail. There is also a significant threat of damaging wind gusts according to forecast models, with newly-blooming trees potentially being damaged by those winds.
“A few strong, and particularly damaging, tornadoes are possible,” according to the SPC guidance.
Finally, there is a real chance of flash flooding if storms continue to impact the same areas, and the heavy rain could raise water levels on the Rock, Fox and Des Plaines rivers, which are still experiencing flooding after heavy rains that fell earlier this month.
The showers and thunderstorms are expected to die down in the late evening hours, and most of the upcoming week appears to be dry and on the cool side, with highs in the low-60s for most of the area, according to forecast models.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest updates on the severe weather, and be sure to download the NBC Chicago app for real-time weather alerts sent directly to your phone.
