Chicago's spring rollercoaster: Warmth, storms, and summer-like weekend ahead

CHICAGO - It's been a beautiful day with sunshine and temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s.

Skies will become partly cloudy late Thursday night and early Friday, ahead of a system that will bring rain to the area around midday to the early afternoon Friday.

Showers and thunderstorms are possible Friday afternoon and evening with highs in the lower 60s. There is a small chance for an isolated strong or severe storm in the west suburbs, but as of now, it appears the best chance of severe weather is west of Chicagoland.

The weekend looks summer-like with highs near 80 both Saturday and Sunday with a chance of scattered showers or storms each day. It will not be a wash of a weekend by any means, we'll have plenty of dry hours to enjoy the warmth. There is a small chance for a few storms to be on the stronger side.

Shower chances will linger into early Monday, but the warmth continues. Temperatures look to stay in the 70s for highs Monday through at least Wednesday.