Chicago weather: Cooler temps and sunshine return after heavy rain

Chicago weather: Thursday morning forecast

FOX 32's Mike Caplan breaks down today's weather outlook.

CHICAGO - The heaviest rainfall on Wednesday targeted the Kankakee River Valley, where between 2 and 4 1/2 inches of rain fell. 

Chicago weather forecast

What to expect:

This morning we start with a few patches of light rain and drizzle. The trend for the rest of this day will be for clearing skies, a breeze out of the northeast and much cooler temperatures with lowering humidity. 

Highs today will be in the low to mid 70s with the coolest numbers near the lake. Tonight will be mainly clear and pleasant with lows between 60 and 65. 

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny and mild with highs in the upper 70s. The delightful weather continues over the weekend with plenty of sunshine and highs in the low to mid 80s. 

Next week will be a little bit warmer but not hot with the next chance of showers arriving on Tuesday. What will be a player in our weather for at least the next couple of days is wildfire smoke. This is not only from Canada, but now from Western U.S. fires.