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Temperature To Climb To 70, But Wind Draws Concerns

CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you've been missing the 80-plus degree temperatures we saw last week, you might have to wait for a while.

But there's no complaining to do. The temperature is expected to hit a balmy 70 degrees with sunny skies Wednesday afternoon. As of 11:20 a.m., the temperature had already reached 60 at Waukegan, 63 at O'Hare International Airport, 64 at Midway, and 66 at Gary, Ind.

But the blasting winds are drawing some concern. The wind was blowing at a sustained speed of 24 at O'Hare and 26 at Waukegan as of 11:20 a.m.

For some parts of the area – including all of Northwest Indiana, as well as Will, Kendall, Grundy and Kankakee counties and areas downstate – the wind and the low humidity have prompted a red flag warning from 7 p.m. to midnight.

A red flag warning denotes the threat of a fire starting and spreading very rapidly in dry and windy conditions.

Cooler temperatures will prevail for the rest of the week. The overnight low will drop to 42 as the breeze tapers off, and on Thursday, the high is only 51.

Rain is expected on Friday as the high climbs to 57, followed by highs of 58 on Saturday and 68 on Sunday. The weekend is expected to be dry, CBS 2 Meteorologist Megan Glaros says.

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