Rain Steady Until Thursday, Thunderstorms Possible: IL Weather

CHICAGO — The sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperatures were certainly a welcome way to start the week.

But at least for the next three days, local residents in the greater Chicago area will want to trade their sunglasses for umbrellas. The National Weather Service is predicting that "unsettled" rainy weather is here to stay through Thursday, with the heaviest precipitation arriving on Tuesday night and settling in before the rain moves out Thursday evening.

Temperatures will stay on the mild side, forecasters predict, which could bring a chance of thunderstorms on Wednesday, the National Weather said. The rain is expected to last in shifts with periods of dryness arriving each day, but there is a 90 to 100 percent chance of rain between now and Thursday.

Forecasters are predicting temperatures could rise into the 60s on Wednesday, when scattered thunderstorms are possible for some areas. The air will remain mild until then, a day after temperatures reached the low 70s in some areas of Chicago and the surrounding areas.

After temperatures dip into the upper 30s overnight on Wednesday, rain returns for Thursday, with temperatures in the mid-40s. The sun makes its return on Friday and into the weekend, but temperatures will remain cooler and will struggle to reach the low 50s despite the return of the sunshine.