Chicago woke up on Saturday, April 18, to a classic spring mood swing: cloudy, blustery and barely clinging to 50°F at Midway, with a steady west-northwest wind already up and running. A shot at light rain lingers before 9 a.m., then clouds should thin out, giving way to partly sunny skies and a high near 51°F later in the afternoon.
Afternoon Winds Pick Up
The main headline for the day is the wind. Afternoon west-northwest winds are expected around 15 to 20 mph, with gusts that could reach 35 mph, enough to make lakefront plans choppy and send any unsecured patio furniture on a short road trip. According to the National Weather Service in Chicago, a Small Craft Advisory is in effect for the Illinois and Indiana nearshore waters through 10 p.m. Saturday night. Those blustery conditions could also make the evening commute a bit more of a white-knuckle ride on bridges and open ramps.
Showers Early, Frost Late
There is a 30 to 40 percent chance of light rain early on Saturday before 9 a.m., but any showers should be brief and light. A second, fast-moving disturbance is on track to bring scattered showers Sunday afternoon, April 19, with highs again stuck in the low 50s. Forecasters warn that inland suburbs and northwest neighborhoods are most likely to dip to near-freezing Sunday night into Monday morning (April 19–20), raising the possibility of frost advisories outside the central city. For background on the broader week-long pattern, see our storm threat building all week.
What To Do This Weekend
If you are away from the lakefront, protect tender plants and bring potted greenery indoors before the chill settles in, and make sure outdoor furniture is secured ahead of the afternoon gusts. Boaters should steer clear of exposed waters while the advisory is in effect, and drivers would be wise to allow extra time and keep a firm grip on the wheel where crosswinds hit hardest on the expressways. The payoff arrives quickly: temperatures rebound sharply by Tuesday, April 21, with highs expected in the low 70s, so keep the layers handy as Chicago sprints through a week of rapid-fire weather changes.
