The Chicago area will see an “active weather day” Thursday, as a powerful cold front causes a rapid temperature drop and the chance for severe weather with large, damaging hail and the possibility for tornadoes.
Before that, the day starts out dry, with a wide temperature range from the 50s in Waukegan to the 80s in Kankakee, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said. In areas between, temperatures will be in the 60s and 70s, but things will start to change about 1 p.m.
“A 20-30 degree temperature drop in just one to two hours,” Roman said. By 5 p.m., all areas will fall to the 40s and 50s, as cold air spreads inland.
A powerful cold front will cause a sharp temperature drop late morning into the afternoon, with temperatures falling by as much as 25°F in one hour. pic.twitter.com/bxXXmWcADw
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 26, 20261 p.m. is around the time showers will start to move in, Roman said, starting in counties to the farth north and west. By 3 p.m., showers and storms are expected to move into Cook County, with rain and storms possible during the Chicago Cubs home opener.
Severe weather chances and storm timing
The severe weather threat is expected to develop between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., the National Weather Service said in a post on X. It will peak between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., and move out by midnight.
Severe weather threat is expected to develop between 2 and 5 pm, peak between 5 and 8 pm, then begin to diminish after 8 pm. pic.twitter.com/VId4hS1z8w
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 26, 2026The greatest chance of severe weather will be south of I-88 and the I-290 corridors, the NWS said.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, areas further south of Chicago, including Kankakee County in Illinois and Newton and Jasper Counties in Indiana will be under an “enhanced risk” for severe storms, which ranks as level three of five.
In those parts, damaging, baseball-sized hail was possible, along with damaging winds and even a few tornadoes.
“Additionally, the potential of repeated thunderstorms moving over the same areas south of the Kankakee River Valley late afternoon through evening may result in some localized flooding,” the NWS warned.
Showers and thunderstorms will develop this afternoon, especially near and south of the I-88 and I-290 corridors. Some of the thunderstorms will probably become severe, capable of producing very large, damaging hail and locally damaging winds. #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/4ImBHEHGeZ
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 26, 2026Will, LaSalle, Grundy and parts of Cook County were under a “slight” risk of severe weather at that time, Roman said. Areas to the north and west, Roman said, would be under a “marginal” risk of severe weather, or level one.
Rain and storms were expected to be gone by midnight, Roman said, with dry conditions and temperatures dropping into the 40s Friday and into the 50s by the weekend.
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