The Chicago area is going to experience a wide range of weather events on Thursday, with wild temperature swings, gusty winds and all sorts of precipitation.
According to the National Weather Service’s special weather statement issued Wednesday, a “multi-faceted weather system” is going to hammer the Chicago area on Thursday.
To start things off, the Chicago area will see above-average temperatures, with readings soaring into the mid-to-upper 40s on Thursday, a far cry from the frigid single-digit temperatures the region saw over the weekend.
Those temperatures are going to be accompanied by extremely strong wind gusts, sometimes exceeding 40 miles per hour out of the south and potentially blowing around loose objects outside, including holiday decorations.
The gusty winds could also pose a threat to vehicles on east-west roadways, but that pattern is going to shift as the day moves along.
That’s because a front is going to be pushing toward the Chicago area, bringing with it first scattered showers and eventually heavy rain, according to forecast models.
As that front approaches, winds are going to begin shifting out of the west, but they’ll remain quite strong, with gusts exceeding 35-to-40 miles per hour and impacting high-profile vehicles on north-south roadways in the afternoon.
Once the front passes by the area in the late afternoon, temperatures are expected to plummet below the freezing mark behind it, and any precipitation left in the region will fall in the form of snow, with the National Weather Service warning of occasional gusty snow squalls that will limit visibility and cause slippery conditions on area roadways.
Some patchy ice could also form due to the rapid temperature decline, causing slippery conditions on untreated sidewalks and exposed roadways.
Things will finally clear out late in the evening Thursday, paving the way for a calmer weather pattern in the days ahead, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Friday will remain on the chilly side, with highs only in the 20s, but for the most part the Chicago area can expect to see above-average temperatures in the coming week leading up to the Christmas holiday, with temps in the 40s on Saturday and then rising back into the 40s by Monday after a brief cooldown Sunday.
As of now, the temperature on Christmas Day is expected to reach into the low-to-mid 40s under cloudy skies, and after Thursday there’s currently no snow in the forecast leading up to the holiday.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest weather news and information, and be sure to download the NBC Chicago app for all the latest details and real-time weather alerts sent to your phone.