The official start of winter may still be more than a month away, but the temperatures of the upcoming season are already in the Chicago area this weekend.
After a milder start to the month of November, the Chicago area will see its coldest weekend of the season thus far, with high temperatures failing to climb out of the upper 20s on Saturday, with the overnight low going into Sunday morning forecasted to reach as low as 12 degrees.
Cloudy skies and strong winds are expected to be prominent across the Chicago area on Saturday, with snow showers expected to begin in the 11 a.m. hour, with possible intermittent snow for the next several hours. Current forecast models suggest a 40 percent chance of snow on Saturday.
While no major accumulation of snow is anticipated in the Chicago area, streams of lake effect snow are impacting much of western Michigan, with lake effect snow being observed on the western shores of all five Great Lakes.
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West to southwest winds are anticipated to be at 15 to 25 mph for much of the day, with gusts potentially reaching 40 mph, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Some clouds will begin to clear in the early evening hours after sunset, though temperatures will continue to drop well into the teens going into Sunday.
Clouds will mostly be cleared out of the area, creating a primarily sunny sky and slightly warmer day for Sunday, with high temperatures forecasted in the low 30s. Winds are expected to still be relatively active, coming from the southwest at 10 to 20 mph.
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Chicago-area residents are expected to get a bit of a reprieve from the brisk conditions, as temperatures are expected to be in the 40s for much of the upcoming week, including a forecasted high of 48 degrees on Wednesday.
With Thanksgiving just five days away, current forecast models suggest a high in the mid 40s with cloudy skies and a chance of precipitation, which could potentially be a wintry mix.
