After a cold start to the week that saw a rebound into above-average temperatures once again, Chicago-area residents are in for a different taste of fall Saturday afternoon.
While the thought of precipitation forecasted for most of the day on Dec. 16 would likely make many in the region think of five inches of snow and temperatures in the 20s, Saturday will see temperatures in the mid 40s and steady rainfall throughout the area.
Saturday morning starts out dry in most parts of the region, with temperatures in the low 40s accompanied by cloudy skies, which are expected to stick around all day.
Rainfall is expected to move northeast through the region, with some areas in the far southwest suburbs likely already seeing some rain at around 8 a.m.
By the late morning hours, the entire Chicago area will likely be seeing steady rainfall, which could lead to a quarter-inch of accumulation in parts of the region by the end of the day. Winds around 10 to 15 miles per hour from the south-southeast are expected alongside the rainfall.
The rain is expected to fall at its steadiest rate between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., beginning to taper off in the late afternoon while continuing into the early evening.
The relatively stagnant conditions throughout the day make for a fairly stable day temperature-wise, with a forecasted high of 45 degrees and a low of 40 degrees in Chicago.
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The cloudy skies and above-average temperatures will stick around on Sunday, though a cold snap will start to move in by the evening hours, bringing freezing temperatures back into the region to start the week.
While Monday and Tuesday are likely to see highs fail to climb out of the mid 30s, highs in the mid-to-upper 40s are expected to move back into the Chicago area by the middle of next week.
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With above-average temperatures forecasted throughout the end of the upcoming week and next weekend, Chicago-area residents are quite unlikely to see a white Christmas in 2023.
