Chicago weather: Severe Thunderstorm Watch, strong winds for most of area overnight
High winds expected for St. Patrick's Day celebrations including parade, river dyeing Saturday
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A round of severe storms are expected to move into the Chicago area Friday night, with strong winds continuing onto Saturday during St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 2 a.m. Saturday for most counties in the Chicago area, the National Weather Service said.
A Tornado Watch is in effect until 3 a.m. Saturday for Ford, Iroquois and Livingston counties.
A Wind Advisory is in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday for most counties in the Chicago area.
A High Wind Warning is in effect until noon Saturday for most counties in the Chicago area.
Another Wind Advisory will go into effect at noon Saturday and is set to expire at 5 p.m. Saturday.
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The Storm Prediction Center the Chicago area at a Level 3 risk for severe storms, with a Level 4 risk for areas further downstate and a Level 2 risk for southern Wisconsin.
Friday is forecast to be very warm with highs well into the 70s and potentially as high as 80 with wind gusts up to 45 mph, ABC7 AccuWeather Meteorologist Tracy Butler said.
Winds were already starting to pick up on Friday afternoon with gusts above 35 mph.
ABC7 Chicago Meteorologist Larry Mowry says a line of severe storms will start moving into the area around 10 p.m. Friday and move out around 2 a.m. Saturday.
Very high winds are likely with the storms as they blow through the area, Mowry said. A tornado threat remains, especially for the far southwestern areas.
Friday night's storms are expected to move rapidly and are expected to be more severe further south.
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Winds are expected to pick back up rather quickly on Saturday, with gusts 50 mph to 60 mph in the morning and early afternoon.
At the St. Patrick's Day Parade, plan on winds gusting 50 mph to 60 mph out of the southwest with temperatures in the 60s, Mowry said.
The forecast turns sharply colder on Sunday, with temperatures in the 30s and even some light rain and snow showers possible.
High winds could play havoc with St. Pat's celebrations
It's a big weekend to be outside with St. Patrick's Day celebrations going on all across Chicago.
The potential high winds are certainly a concern as thousands are expected to make their way downtown and all over the city for Saint Patrick's Day celebrations.
ComEd said they are on alert, and one restaurant ABC7 spoke to said they have taken extra steps to ensure everyone is safe Saturday.
"I want to see the river green and people have a good time," said Kevin Loango, who is traveling from Los Angeles.
People from near and far are expected to make their way downtown to see the Chicago River dyed green and the Saint Patrick's Day parade step off Saturday. While temperatures are expected to be pleasant, the strong winds... not so much.
The timing is far from ideal, as many plan to take part of festivities and flood the city in green.
Beatnik on the River is hosting their first ever Saint Patrick's Day party on Saturday. They've set up a tent on the sidewalk, and have extra reinforcement to hold it down due to possible high winds.
'We do have the tent, it is fortified with cinderblocks every few feet, and we do have an emergency plan in place in the event the winds go above 45," Beatnik general manager Aly Quider said.
The City's Office of Emergency Management and Communications said they are keeping an eye on the weather conditions, and the potential for damage and down tree limbs.
The same goes for ComEd. The utility company says they have been watching the forecast and have extra crews in place, as well as contactors in the event power outages take place.
"Safety is the top priority," ComEd spokesperson John Schoen said. "I would say that people need to be aware of your surroundings, if they see downed power lines you should not approach them. Just because the line isn't sparking it doesn't mean it isn't live."
Spectators say they will be on alert Saturday, but also will not let the weather dampen their celebrations.
"We are trying to pace ourselves, but it's kind of hard," said Jose from Atlanta.
Chief O'Neill's has been celebrating St. Patrick's Day for decades. The entire restaurant is decked out in green and ready to go.
The owners say they are so excited to spread some Irish cheer, but are also keeping a very close eye on that windy forecast.
Siobhan McKinney said her Northwest Side Irish restaurant Chief O'Neill's is ready for whatever blows their way.
"We've weathered many storms, so we're pretty sure everybody will be okay and that everybody will be safe. So hopefully everything will go well," McKinney said.
Chief O'Neill's, like many bars and restaurants across Chicago this weekend, have set up large tents to accommodate as many people as possible celebrating the holiday.
Massive cement blocks and beams are holding the expansive tent in place.
McKinney says they have a contingency plan in place should the weather take an unexpected turn.
"We'll be watching the weather very closely.," McKinney said. "Some people will probably have to leave unfortunately and we can accommodate a lot of people in our dining room and in the pub."
And with thousands of people planning to line Columbus Drive for the 70th annual downtown Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade and for the dyeing of the Chicago River, city emergency leaders are issuing a public heads up before the festivities get underway.
The city's Office of Emergency Management and Control wrote, in part, "OEMC will monitor all citywide events through a collaboration with public safety partners and will issue several alerts and notifications to keep residents up to date on weather conditions, street closures and emergencies."
People getting in on the fun and all the green have this advice ahead of a windy St. Pat's.
"If you're going in a group, stay together it will be busy, it will be packed," Cassie Adams said.
The owner's of Chief O'Neill's also said that if the winds gust up to a certain speed people inside the tent have to get out from under it.
Of course, they are hopeful everything will go as planned.
