With the Fourth of July and the annual NASCAR Chicago Street Race making for a jam-packed few days ahead, Chicagoans can expect a hot — and potentially stormy — holiday weekend.
Should weather predictions hold, forecasts called for temperatures hovering in the mid-90s Friday and Saturday, with a 50% chance of thunderstorms by Sunday afternoon, said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“The main thing that’s going to be consistent through the weekend is just that overall hot summer weather here,” Birk said.
Sunday is looking to be slightly cooler, with temperatures possibly dipping into the 80s, but Birk said to expect “still very humid highs.”
Before noon Friday, there was a 30-40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, but conditions were expected to dry out later in the day, Birk said.
“So fireworks time (Friday) evening looks dry,” he said.
Forecasts also indicated that Saturday would be mostly dry, Birk said. As for Sunday, Birk said there’s a 50% chance of scattered storms anytime from noon to 7 p.m., adding “that could go up as we get closer here.”
Should thunderstorms hit the city this weekend, it would mark the third rainy NASCAR race weekend in a row. Last year, the race weekend’s main event — the Grant Park 165 — faced lengthy delays sparked by intermittent downpours. The year before, racers faced lightning and flash flood warnings.
Still, this year’s event is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees.
The city is set to host the street race on a 12-turn, 2.2-mile course through Grant Park, down DuSable Lake Shore Drive and up Michigan Avenue. The Xfinity Series’ Loop 110, which features mostly younger, up-and-coming NASCAR drivers, will be broadcast on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on the CW Network and local affiliate WGN-TV. The Grant Park 165 Cup Series race will air Sunday at 1 p.m. on the cable network TNT.
The race comes as NASCAR is reportedly in negotiations to hold a street race in San Diego next year, which may be in addition to Chicago, or perhaps will replace the Chicago one.
Mayor Brandon Johnson didn’t answer directly when asked Tuesday if he wants the NASCAR race to continue beyond this weekend, saying, “It’s about having conversations to make sure we’re getting the most out of this experience.”
Johnson also nodded to the rain that has plagued recent editions of the Chicago Street Race. “First of all, we’re just hoping this year there’s good weather,” he said at a City Hall news conference. “It looks like Saturday we’re going to be OK. Sunday is a little iffy, a little cloudy.”
Chicago Tribune’s Robert Channick contributed.
tkenny@chicagotribune.com
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