Chicago weather: Cold front set to bring single-digit highs by Sunday

Today will be the warmest day of the year so far in Chicago, but a sharp temperature drop with subzero wind chills will begin this weekend, marking the start of a prolonged cold spell.

Chicago weather forecast

Today will be the warmest day of the year so far, superseding yesterday’s 38 degrees. We should see the low-to-mid 40s pretty much area-wide. It will be cooler over the snowpack still covering our southern counties. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy. Eating into the warmup will be gusty winds out of the southwest. At times speeds may exceed 30mph. 

At night, some rain will break out mainly for areas east of I-55. By the time cold air arrives, the moisture should be largely east of our area. This will limit any potential issues with snow. Then the plunge begins. 

Future forecast

Timeline:

Here's a look at the days ahead.

  • Tomorrow: Whatever the midnight temp is Saturday will likely be as warm as it gets for several days. I expect that high to be around 35 degrees. Afternoon temperatures will struggle to hold in the mid 20s with clearing skies. There will be some light lake-effect snow in Porter/LaPorte counties east. 
  • Sunday: Readings will dive through the teens headed into the single digits by Sunday morning. There they will hold all day. 
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day: At night into the morning of the holiday, lows will tank several degrees below zero with lowest wind chills around -20 degrees. Skies will be partly cloudy and highs will barely rise into positive integers.
  • Tuesday: Tuesday morning when kids go back to school it will likely feel a few degrees colder. 
  • Wednesday: Wednesday will not be as harsh as highs hit 20 degrees or perhaps a tad higher. There remain no significant winter storms in sight.

The Source: This story was written from various weather models interpreted by FOX 32 Meteorologist Mike Caplan.

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