Storms ‘strong enough to down tree limbs’ expected Tuesday evening ahead of cool down before Memorial Day weekend

Rainstorms and high wind will push through the Chicago area Tuesday evening, ushering in the end of 80-degree days by the end of the week.

The rain was expected to begin late Tuesday afternoon and continue overnight, mainly north of Interstate 55, according to the National Weather Service.

Thunderstorms are possible, as well as “winds strong enough to down tree limbs, isolated hail and locally soaking rainfall,” the weather service said in its forecast. The rain will end by Wednesday morning.

Temperatures will rise once more to the 80s on Wednesday before a cold front hits the following day, according to the weather service. Thursday’s high is forecast at 63 degrees, while Friday’s is 53 degrees.

But warmer temperatures should return Memorial Day weekend. Saturday’s high is 62 degrees, Sunday’s 72, and Memorial Day is 75.

Historically, the highs on Memorial Day tend to be in the 70s, according to the weather service. The hottest Memorial Days on record were in 2018 and 2012, when the thermometer reached 95. The coldest high temp of 42 degrees was recorded in 1889.