In the other scenario, the storm could veer more to the south, primarily impacting central Illinois and Indiana. While it is unclear just how much snow could fall, moisture off of Lake Michigan could potentially lead to lake-enhancement, driving up totals in the city and in the northern and western suburbs. If the storm takes a more northerly route, then the city and most of the suburbs could see accumulating snow on Thursday. The system is expected to move rapidly into the area from the Great Plains on Wednesday, but the track that it is going to take will ultimately determine how quickly the precipitation changes from rain to snow, and then how much snow could potentially fall in parts of the Chicago area.

The latter part of the storm is where the biggest uncertainty still remains. The high temperature for the day will be recorded at midnight, and readings will continue to drop throughout the day, turning the precipitation into ice and then into snow by the time the system finally moves out of the area late Thursday.įreezing rain and sleet are possible during the Thursday morning commute, with forecasters warning residents to practice safe driving habits in the event of nasty early-morning weather. That rain could continue to fall through Thursday morning, but it all depends on how quickly temperatures begin to drop. That rain, along with the warm temperatures, could cause ice jams to break up, leading to even more flooding concerns in the coming days.Ī flash flood watch is in effect for Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana, according to the National Weather Service, but forecasters say that heavy rain is expected in many areas, especially south of Interstate 80. Those models indicate that rain will begin to fall across the area Wednesday afternoon and into the evening, causing serious flooding concerns in low-lying areas and along rivers and streams. NBC 5 Chief Meteorologist Brant Miller breaks down what a pair of forecasting models are saying about a possible midweek storm that could bring rain, then snow, to the Chicago area.

Chicago weather thursday