Strong rain, winds expected late Saturday night

Though it seems Chicago will avoid the worst of a severe storm system that was expected to move across the area Saturday, thunderstorms and strong winds are still likely later in the evening.

The National Weather Service said the chances of showers and thunderstorms Saturday night was greater than 90%, with most of the rain falling before 1 a.m. Sunday. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Despite the likely rainfall, the storms are a far cry from the “severe weather” forecasters had predicted for Saturday afternoon and evening. Elsewhere in Illinois, that threat remains higher, with the possibility of tornadoes around and southwest of Dixon, the weather service said.

Saturday’s temperatures should fall to a low of 46 degrees, the weather service said, and hover in the high 40s all of Sunday. A slight chance of showers is possible Sunday afternoon.