Chicago weather: Colder air and snow chances move in midweek

Chicago Weather: Colder air and snow chances move in midweek

Fox Chicago Chief Meteorologist Emily Wahls has the forecast for Jan. 12, 2026.

CHICAGO - It was a mild January day with highs in the lower 40s, running about 10 degrees above average for this time of year.

Skies will become partly cloudy tonight with lows in the low to mid-30s. 

Full forecast :

Tuesday may start off with more clouds than sun, but we'll make our way back to partly cloudy skies during the day with highs near 50 degrees and gusty west-southwest winds.

Much colder air will move in on Wednesday with temperatures falling from the upper 30s in the morning to low 30s during the day. Scattered wind-whipped snow showers may bring temporary travel impacts in the afternoon, and then a more organized lake effect event may unfold in Northwest Indiana during the evening into early Thursday morning. We'll have to watch the forecast trends closely to see where the heaviest bands set up.

Temperatures on Thursday will be in the upper 20s and skies will be partly cloudy for most of the area. Scattered snow returns to the area on Friday and Saturday with highs in the mid-30s on Friday and then 20s on Saturday.

All eyes are on Sunday for the Bears game, and it's looking cold! While there is a small chance for flurries, it appears like we'll likely have dry skies with highs struggling to reach 20 degrees.