Chicago set for taste of summer as temps hit 80s, bringing a chance of showers through Saturday

This week will bring a taste of summer with temperatures expected to be in the lower 80s in some spots, and along with the high temperatures will come “wave after wave after wave” of rain and severe thunderstorms, according to Brett Borchardt, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Sunday night is expected to see “waves” of thunder and rain, though not as strong as other recent storms that have hit the area, Borchardt said.

“It’s not gonna be a wash out or raining all night,” he said.

Temperatures are expected to jump to 78 on Monday and 80 on Tuesday, staying in the mid 70s and low 80s through the end of the week.

While Monday is likely to remain dry, Tuesday and Wednesday’s conditions will be particularly favorable for severe weather, Borchardt said. He urged people to stay prepared and have multiple ways to receive storm information.

“It’s gonna be a window to watch; we could have some pretty strong storms or possibly tornadoes,” he said.

Sunday’s anticipated quarter inch of rain isn’t likely to cause flooding near the Fox and Kankakee rivers, which were both still elevated from previous rain and prompted flood warnings near them, but the risk could rise as the week progresses.

There’s a chance for storms to hit the city almost every day through Saturday, meaning the ground will have less capacity to absorb the rainfall.

“We could start to have issues with flooding, especially by Thursday as the ground gets more saturated,” Borchardt said.

Over the past century in Chicago, the likelihood of heavy rainstorms — fueled in part by climate change — has increased sevenfold, often overwhelming the city’s sewers. That’s while federal relief money remains unspent, leaving the thousands whose homes flood without help or answers, according to a Chicago Sun-Times investigation.

The summer-like pattern will come to an end toward the start of next week, when temperatures are expected to return to highs in the upper 50s and lower 60s through next week, which is more typical for this time of year, Borchardt said.

He said no snow is forecast, so Chicagoans may have finally made it to spring — for real this time.

“But with each cold front, the floor for temperatures rises as you get toward summer,” he added.