Snow and Rain in This Week's Forecast

This weekend sure felt like spring. If not for the treacherous 60-to-70-mph winds on Friday, the last three days could have been close to perfect. Saturday even seemed like a good day to bring out the grill.

Alas, the coming week will remind us we’re still in winter’s grasp. A little bit of snow is in the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, and the temperatures aren’t quite as nice as we felt on Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s a look at the week ahead:

• Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. East northeast wind around 5 mph. In the evening, mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. East wind around 5 mph.
• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. At night, mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Wednesday: Snow likely, possibly mixed with rain, becoming all snow after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. Snow likely to continue into the evening, too. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Blustery. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent at night.
• Thursday: A slight chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 35. Breezy. Mostly cloudy in the evening with a low of 23.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33. Low around 24.

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Wind Damage and Info

Extremely high winds swept across the Chicago area throughout the day Friday, exceeding 60 miles per hour at some points. The highest recorded wind speed of the day was 73 mph in Chicago. The winds caused damage throughout the area and knocked out power. Trees were knocked down, roofing was blown off homes and businesses, and walls of some buildings collapsed.

Here are a few fast facts about the high-wind event, according to the National Weather Service:

• The strongest wind gusts observed Friday were 73 mph at the Chicago Harrison-Dever Crib.
• Wind gusts of 60-plus mph were observed north of the I-80 corridor, with peak gusts of 50-55 mph south of I-80.
• The peak wind gust at Chicago O’Hare International Airport was 62 mph and at Chicago Midway International Airport was 61 mph.
• The temperatures reached the upper 50s to mid 60s across the area. The 62° officially at Chicago O’Hare was the first 60°-plus reading in February since 2009 and only the fourth time in February in the past 15 years.

Weather Stories

• Good Samaritans Save Woman from Blowing Away in Chicago Wind
• Freaky Willis Tower Sway Video
• Construction Workers Stuck in Chicago High Rise (No Worries. They Got Out Safely)
• High Winds Knock Down Building in Calumet Park, Cause Other Disruptions
• ‘Total Chaos’ on the CTA Blue Line Friday Night