1.5 Inches Of Rain, 45 MPH Gusts Possible Thursday For Chicago Area

ILLINOIS — "Active weather" is expected starting Wednesday night and into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service Chicago. The area could see soaking rain, a few storms, snow, and wind gusts up to 45 mph.

Heavy rain, from 1 inch to 1.5 inches, is expected Wednesday night, the weather service said. The rain will continue into Thursday morning and could slow down the morning commute.

Embedded thunderstorms are also possible overnight and Thursday morning, the weather service said.

Far northern Illinois could see a wintry mix on Thursday as well.

AccuWeather said strong winds will develop Thursday, and it will be "cooler with periods of rain in the morning followed by a bit of snow and rain at times in the afternoon."

The private forecaster gave a prediction of 2 and a half hours of rain on Thursday, and .2 inches.

Winds will pick up on Thursday morning and afternoon, and there is a high wind watch in effect south of Interstate 80. Most of the Chicago area can expect to see wind gusts around 45 mph, according to the weather service.

Winds are strong enough to down tree limbs and could cause scattered power outages, the weather service said.