Chicago's Lollapalooza opens Thursday with the kind of mild summer weather festivalgoers dream about, but the weekend forecast has a built-in trouble spot: Friday night. Showers could turn heavier by evening, with thunderstorms possible, before lingering wet weather makes a Saturday appearance.
Thursday is currently the easy button: sunny, light winds and highs in the mid-70s, according to the Chicago Tribune. Friday starts only slightly warmer, with highs in the upper 70s, but lighter afternoon showers could give way to heavy rain and potential thunderstorms by evening. Forecaster Jake Petr also warned that downpours could cause ponding on roadways.
Friday Looks Like The Messiest Stretch
Lollapalooza's own attendee guide says the festival grounds mix paved surfaces, grass and gravel, while recommending that guests check the forecast and bring a reusable water bottle. In other words, the poncho may have a more important job than the outfit, so comfortable footwear is probably the safer fashion choice.
Saturday morning could still be soggy, with showers and thunderstorms possible and temperatures in the 70s, while Sunday looks mostly dry except for a possible light morning shower, per the Chicago Tribune. Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications is telling attendees to keep tabs on conditions and be aware of extreme-weather evacuation sites at Grant Park North, Grant Park South and Millennium Lakeside garages.
Chicago Has A Severe-Weather Plan For The Park
Those shelter locations have been part of Lolla's severe-weather playbook before. CBS Chicago reported that the city has used the three garages as emergency shelters during past festival storms, with organizers directing fans through video boards, apps and on-site announcements when evacuations are needed.
The festival runs Thursday through Sunday at Grant Park, with each day beginning at noon, according to Choose Chicago. The forecast looks less like a four-day washout than a mostly comfortable run with one potentially messy evening—exactly the kind of Chicago weather that refuses to keep a simple set list.
