Chicago-Area Weather: Storms Possible Friday Night; Solar Eclipse Forecast

The Chicago area could get hit by thunderstorms Friday night, but the rest of the weekend should be sunny and dry. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the Chicago area and is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms overnight.

For the rest of the weekend, dry weather and mostly sunny skies are in the forecast for the Chicago area. On Saturday, high temps between 75 and 82 degrees are expected, with cooler weather expected near Lake Michigan. On Sunday, high temps between 84 and 88 degrees are in the forecast.

As for Monday, the same day of the solar eclipse, partly cloudy skies are in the forecast. The eclipse will start at 11:54 a.m. on Chicago and is expected to peak at 1:20 p.m. when 88.6 percent of the sun will be covered by the moon, according to DNA Info.

DNA Info reports:

The sun will look like a rotated crescent standing up on its points. By 2:42 p.m., the eclipse will be over, and the sky will go back to normal.

The partly cloudy skies could make viewing the eclipse, which will already not be as noticeable in the Chicago area as other, more-southern portions of the state and country, even more difficult, according to DNA Info. Those wishing to see total darkness would have to drive bout five hours downstate.

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"It won't get noticeably dark here. Our sun is so bright," said Annie Vedder, the Adler Planetarium's curator of experience. "The moon will take a little cookie bite out of the sun."

There is also a chance for rain showers on Monday afternoon. High temps in the mid- to upper-80s are in the forecast.

More via DNAInfo.com