Rain is expected over the Chicago area this afternoon.
There are a patchwork of flood advisories, warnings and watches have been issued to highlight individual rivers and streams that are rising due to the extensive snowmelt and concurrent half-inch to inch rainfall that has already occurred. Soils are frozen just below the surface, so most of the water is run off into close-by, fast-filling drainage systems. Ponding is occurring and local flooding has already being reported in some of the more flood-prone areas.
Dense fog could become more of a problem in the Chicago area later this afternoon and evening as the low pressure center approaches and moves over this area.
Temperatures will fall into the 40s Sunday afternoon and drop into the 30s overnight as the rain diminishes , possibly changing over to wet snow by Monday morning.
People walk down Michigan Avenue in the rain and sleet in Downtown Chicago. A winter weather advisory has been issued for the Chicago area as a powerful storm is expected to hit mid-day. — Heather Charles, Chicago Tribune, Feb. 26, 2013
Winds will shift to the west and then northwest later Monday with possible snow flurries – especially before noon.
The reminder of the workweek, cool high pressure will reside over the Midwest and western Great Lakes. Along with rather tranquil weather conditions, high temperatures during this period will average around 5 to 7 degrees below mid-March averages.
