Severe weather threat looms just as Chicago's iconic Air and Water Show kicks off

Дата публикации: 14-08-2026 05:59:18

The risk of severe weather looms of the Chicago area for two more days, with damaging winds, hail and heavy rain all possible — again.
The stormy weather comes as more than 300,000 in northwest Indiana remain without power from storms and tornadoes Tuesday, with the utility saying it suffered “unprecedented” damage to its grid.
It also comes as practice for the iconic Chicago Air and Water Show is set to kick off, with practice beginning Friday. Could the event get rained out?
In a statement sent to NBC Chicago, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications said it will “monitor weekend events and weather conditions citywide from the Operations Center and coordinate public safety resources with critical stakeholders as needed.”
The show runs Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. along North Avenue beach, extending along the lakefront from Fullerton Avenue to Oak Street. Practice for the event — which features the full run of show including the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Army Parachute Team, the F-22 Raptor and more — is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday.
“You can plan to have the best show in the world, and then the weather is the weather,” show announcer Herb Hunter told NBC Chicago Friday morning.
COVID was the only year the Chicago Air and Water Show was canceled, Hunter said. But there were other years that parts of the show didn’t happen because of weather.
“You’ve got ceiling and visibility requirements,” Hunter said. “You don’t want to put anyone in danger, but the show’s got to go on one way or another.”
Hunter said the shows could extend past 3:30 p.m. because of the forecast.
“We’ve got some waiver room,” Hunter said. “Everyone wants to see the Thunderbirds, we want to get the F-22 in. “Wed’ love to have the Golden Knights Jump too, but they have altitude requirements.”
Severe weather risk Friday, Saturday
According to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Pete Sack, stray showers and sprinkles could pop-up during the rehearsal, with the heaviest rain expected to stay to the south.
Still, low-hanging clouds could crowd the view.
“Mainly clouds overhead,” Sack said. “A low cloud deck at that. I know there’s a rehearsal for the Air and Water Show, that’s looking a little iffy with the clouds overhead.”
Storms could develop Friday afternoon, with storm chances ramping up starting about 7 p.m.
“Another storm complex,” Sack said. “Looks awfully familiar.”
Storms Friday night and overnight carry a “marginal” risk of severe weather for the Chicago area, which ranks as level one of five.
“Damaging winds up to 60 mph, hail and of course some heavy rain associated with this,” Sack said, of what to expect. To the south and west, a “slight” risk of severe weather was possible, which ranks as level two.
Storms and severe weather chances are expected to continue overnight into Saturday morning, Sack said, with the entire Chicago area still under a “marginal” risk. The heavy rain overnight also brings the threat of flash flooding, as rainfall rates could exceed two inches an hour.
Most of the rain will clear out starting about 12 p.m., Sack said. More showers and storms were expected to develop overnight and into Sunday.
By early next week, “finally some drier weather was expected.”
“Looks like we’re going to see a shift in the weather pattern,” Sack said, with storm chances possible Wednesday but otherwise drier with cooler temperatures.
Chicago Air and Water Show Lineup
Here’s who is performing this year:
Headliners
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights
Military performers
U.S. Air Force C-17 Demo – 15th Airlift Squadron
Illinois Air National Guard KC-135 – 126th Air Refueling Wing
U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue demo
F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team
USMC F-35B Lightning II Demonstration Team
Four F-16s
Civilian performers
Coleman Aerosports – Kevin Coleman
Super Stearman “Big Red” – Susan Dacy
Folds of Honor Biplane – Ed Hamill
Trojan Phlyers Flight Demonstration Team
Chicago Police Department helicopters
Chicago Fire Department Air / Sea Rescue
Are the Blue Angels flying?
While a fan favorite, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels won’t be performing this year.
The Thunderbirds led the show alongside U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights in 2025, traditionally signaling that the following year would be headlined by the Blue Angels.
However, the Blue Angels will be at the Oregon International Air Show in McMinnville, Oregon, this year, according to their schedule.
“Our annual schedule is developed through a variety of operational and logistical considerations, and unfortunately we are unable to support every request each year,” Captain Danielle Cribb, a spokesperson for the Blue Angels, previously told NBC Chicago.

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