Southwest winds have pushed the wildfire smoke away from Chicago, for now.
While blue skies broke through the blanket of haze covering much of northeast Illinois by Friday afternoon, the Chicago area is not completely in the clear of smoky conditions.
An air quality alert is in effect through Saturday night for much of the Chicago area and could even be extended as a second round of smoke rolls in. Plus, strong and possibly severe storms are likely to hit on Saturday, though they will primarily stay south of I-88.
Whether you’re considering canceling plans or trying to get an idea of when may be safest to hang out outside over the weekend, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s a look at what the weekend could look like in terms of both air quality and humidity and storm chances:
Weekend air quality:
Saturday: “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” for ozone in the afternoon. AQI 100-150.
Saturday night: “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” for PM2.5 at night as smoke returns. AQI 100-150.
Sunday: “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” for PM2.5. AQI 100-150.
More smoke is expected to return Saturday night through Sunday, which may worsen the air quality again.
This round of smoke isn’t expected to be nearly as dense as what Chicago just experienced, but smoke and air quality forecasts are sensitive to sudden changes so it’s something to keep an eye on for outdoor plans and activities this weekend.
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Humidity and storm chances:
Saturday:
We’ll have the chance of thunderstorms from about 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday.
The southwest wind may have pushed the smoke away, but it’s also ushering in more warm and humid air.
Feels-like temperatures could approach 100 degrees again by Saturday afternoon. That’ll help fuel the chance of storms as a cold front moves in from the north.
One or two storms may produce damaging wind gusts. You should also plan ahead for downpours and frequent lightning, but storms shouldn’t linger for very long as the cold front quickly pushes south.
Cooler air is expected to move in behind the front through the evening, but the north/northeast wind will also carry in more wildfire smoke Saturday night through early Sunday.
The highest concentrations of smoke are expected from Chicago to the north and west through the Rockford area.
Sunday:
Hazy skies from wildfire smoke is likely, but the smoke isn’t expected to be as dense or pose as severe of a health risk as what Chicago saw Thursday and Friday.
Other than the smoke, it should be a pleasant day with significantly lower humidity than Saturday.
After that, the humidity will build again on Monday, and another round of severe thunderstorms is possible.
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