Warm, quiet start to the weekend before the next chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms

Pattern to remain active into next week with the threat of more storms and potential severe weather plus a pattern change to cooler conditions by mid-month

WGN WEATHER HEADLINES

• Tracking multiple precipitation chances over the coming week
• Active pattern to bring more chances for showers and thunderstorms in coming days
• Forecast potential rainfall over the next week
• Note: thunderstorms do not distribute their rainfall evenly. Some areas are likely to see more rainfall than indicated here while other areas see less
• Strong cold front threatens another round of showers and thunderstorms Saturday evening
• Tracking the arrival of scattered showers and thunderstorms

TUESDAY SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

• Severe thunderstorms are possible across the entire Chicago metro area on Tuesday afternoon and night. This is a period to monitor for potentially active weather.
• Tuesday 7AM through Wednesday 7AM

TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OUTLOOKS

Valid May 9 through May 17, 2024

SATURDAY SEVERE WEATHER RISK

Chicago area in a level 1 of 5 or a marginal risk for seeing a strong or severe thunderstorm

Primary threats:

• Isolated damaging wind threat
• marginally large hail

ENTERING “CLIMATOLOGICAL PRIMETIME” FOR THUNDERSTORMS

May through August are the most active months in terms of thunderstorm production

SATURDAY TEMPERATURE SNAPSHOT

• Large area temperature spread likely due to localized lake breezes
• Summerlike warmth inland; nearly 20 degrees cooler for areas within a few miles of Lake Michigan
• If the mercury reaches 80 degrees officially at either airport, it would mark the first 80-degree or warmer May 4th in 24 years (since 81 degrees in 2000)

FORECAST TEMPERATURE ANOMALY

• Warm overall pattern to continue just beyond the first week of May for the central and eastern U.S., but a pattern change to much cooler weather looms before mid-month
• Changing upper steering winds to the northwest out of Canada signal much cooler conditions, while warmth bathes the Pacific Northwest

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