Saturday marks the start of a weekend full of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Chicago, with thousands expected downtown tomorrow morning for the Chicago River dyeing.

While the tradition will go on as normal, those attending should prepare for extremely windy conditions, with a high wind warning to take effect from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday.

During the high wind warning, southwesterly gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are anticipated, with steady winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour expected.

The strong gusts are likely to be accompanying cloudy skies and warm temperatures for the 10 a.m. start of the river dyeing.

Though conditions are forecasted to be less-than-ideal Saturday, there are no plans for any changes to the Chicago River dyeing or the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The extremely windy start to Saturday comes on the heels of possibly severe storms Friday, with a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for the vast majority of the Chicago area until 2 a.m. Saturday.

Following the expiration of the high wind warning, a high wind advisory will go back into effect, remaining in place until 5 p.m. Saturday.

The second wind advisory, taking effect at noon on Saturday, will see winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour expected.

A significant cooldown is in store after the winds leave the area, with high temperatures dropping down to the low 40s on Sunday before warmer conditions return by the start of next week.