Forget those Monday snow flurries. This weekend, it feels like summer in Chicago.
Temperatures in the Chicago area are expected to reach near the lower 80s Saturday and remain warm through Monday. Dryness and a breeze will accompany the “unseasonably warm” weather at the start of the weekend, the National Weather Service wrote.
Advertisement
Clear skies are forecast for Saturday, though there is a chance of rain and isolated thunderstorms Sunday nights.
Before the evening brings cooler weather, Saturday’s high temperatures could mark a rare feat for late October. The last time Chicago temperatures reached 80 degrees on Oct. 22 was 1999, the NWS said. Saturday’s local projected high is 79 degrees.
Advertisement
On Sunday and Monday, temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-to-upper 70s.
“The beautiful stretch of weather will continue through the weekend with chances for rain increasing next week. Temperatures look to fall Tuesday and beyond,” the NWS wrote.
[ Fall weather in Chicago: Still waiting on the first freeze and measurable snowfall. ]
The outdoor reprieve comes before what is expected to be a cold, snowy winter. This will be the third consecutive “La Nina” winter, meaning people should expect above normal precipitation locally and a “lean toward below normal temperatures” in northwest and north central Illinois, according to the NWS.
But while winter looms, fall is already here. Chicago is still waiting on its first fall freeze, though the urban heat-island effect means freezing temperatures may hit the city later than in other nearby areas.
A cold front is expected to bring back cooler weather Monday night. High temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-50s next week.