Lollapalooza 2017 Weather: Rain Expected But Keep The Umbrella At Home

CHICAGO, IL — Rainy conditions and outdoor concerts have a familiar but awkward relationship. Few people are happy to see showers pour down during a show, but wet weather can be the price of doing business in order to enjoy listening to your favorite band or musical act outside. In Chicago this weekend, that relationship between music lovers and the weather will be rekindled as Lollapalooza, the four-day summer music festival in Grant Park, begins Thursday with performances are expected to continue with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for the opening day and beyond.

As rain began falling Thursday afternoon in downtown Chicago, festival organizers said in an online update that they would be monitoring weather conditions and keeping attendees posted on what to expect. Lollapalooza is a rain-or-shine event, meaning the show will go on, despite crowds of wet people. In 2015, however, severe weather did force a temporary evacuation of Grant Park. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Organizers urge festival-goers to dress appropriately for the weather and wear items such as waterproof footwear and ponchos if rain is expected during their time at the park. One very important thing attendees need to remember, though: Lollapalooza prohibits umbrellas, and festival-goers will not be allowed to bring one to the event.

For the festival's first day Thursday, attendees can expect scattered severe storms — some possibly with damaging winds up to 70 mph and a very slight chance of quarter-size hail — to move east across Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana in the afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Patch Coverage of Lollapalooza 2017

Lollapalooza 2017: Scoring Last-Minute Passes And Watching Must-See Acts Online: PLUS: Find out what items you can't bring to the 4-day music festival at Grant Park and explore the best ways to get to the weekend event.

Who Are The Musical Acts Playing At Lollapalooza 2017?: Chance the Rapper will continue to rep his hometown as one of the headliners of August's four-day music event in Chicago.

Lollapalooza 2017 Adds More Than 50 Aftershows Around Chicago: Spoon, the Shins, Liam Gallagher and other acts will be performing at clubs around the city this week.

Metra, CTA Add Extra Services For Lollapalooza: Starting Thursday, service on bus and rail routes will be expanded to accommodate the crowds for the summer music festival.

Before heading to the event Thursday or anytime the rest of the weekend, check area radar to see what systems are moving through the region, something Lollapalooza's organizers strongly encourage festval-goers to do. Here's a the quick four-day forecast for Lollapalooza from the NWS.

Image via Lollapalooza

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