Saturday Storm Timeline: Tracking evening storms in Chicagoland

CHICAGO — After a week of hot and sunny weather, shower and storm chances return to Chicagoland on Saturday evening.

The weekend kicked off on a warm and sunny note, but a round of showers moving in on Saturday afternoon could disrupt some evening plans.

Currently, a majority of the metro area is at either a level 1 or 2 risk of seeing a strong or severe thunderstorm Saturday.

While the risk for severe threats is on the lower end, Saturday’s storms still have the potential to produce gusty winds and even some hail.

Saturday Storm Timeline:

Shower and storm threats are not expected to move in until the evening hours on Saturday.

Ahead of the storms, areas to the north and west of Chicagoland are seeing Flood Watches on Saturday morning, as a big line of storms lingering in the area is expected to drop a lot of rain. The system is bolstered not only by regular atmospheric moisture but also by “corn sweat,” or evapotranspiration, from cornfields.

During the evapotranspiration process, corn plants absorb water from the soil and release it into the atmosphere as vapor through their leaves, pumping billions of gallons of water into the air.

The corn sweat could have an impact on the system moving into Chicagoland on Saturday afternoon, as it could usher in some strong-to-severe storms.

According to the WGN Weather Experts, showers and storms will arrive in Chicagoland later in the evening, around 9 p.m., as the eastward system marches across the state.

Around 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., before it arrives in Chicagoland, the system is expected to hang around the Fox River Valley.

But as the system approaches Chicago, it is expected to keep a bit of distance from the lake, so areas to the west of Lake Michigan and in the western suburbs could see a bit more rain.

The system is expected to hang around parts of the Chicagoland into the overnight hours, and showers and storms could hang around into the early morning hours Sunday.