Chicago Weather

Chicago weather: Hazy skies, gusty storms with hail possible as cold front moves in

While skies were hazy, Chicago's air quality Monday was much improved from last week

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The Chicago area Monday woke up to another morning of hazy skies, with rain and gusty thundershowers possible for some parts as a cold front over Wisconsin moves into Illinois, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.

A cold front that passed through Sunday was also keeping temperatures cooler than average for this time of year, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said, with highs in the upper 60s to mid 70s expected.

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Although skies were hazy, Chicago's air quality Monday morning ranked as "moderate," with a PM2.5 of 84. That number follows days of poor air quality in the "unhealthy" and "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category on AirNow's air quality scale.

According to Roman, the best chance for rain and gusty storms comes in the afternoon, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., especially in northern Cook and Lake Counties. Those storms could bring strong winds up to 60 miles per hour and small hail, Roman said, though that's only if they hold together.

In a social media post, the National Weather Service in Chicago said the strongest storms, should they materialize, could be east of the Fox Valley in Northern Illinois.

"Keep an eye on the sky today," the NWS added.

Tuesday will see warmer, drier weather, Roman said, with high temperatures in the 70s. Wednesday will be even sunnier and warmer, with highs in the 80s.

By Wednesday night however, showers could form across Chicago's northern counties, with thundershowers possible again Thursday and into the weekend.

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"Pretty unsettled through the end of the week and into the weekend unfortunately," Roman said, of the rain chances ahead.

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