While the months of January and February were below-average temperature-wise in the Chicago area, the month of March will get off to a sunny and pleasant start in coming days, with highs exceeding 50 degrees by Wednesday across the region.
Tuesday will kick off meteorological spring with a partly-to-mostly cloudy day, along with a wide variance in temperatures across the region. Highs in Chicago and the northern suburbs will likely settle into the mid-to-upper 40s, while further south temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s are expected, according to forecast models.
Wednesday will see high temperatures creep up even further, hitting the 50s across the area as a boundary stays steady over the northern portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, keeping colder air to the north of the Chicago area.
That frontal boundary will sag southward on Thursday, bringing with it much-cooler temperatures and the chance for snow later in the day.
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Highs on Thursday will likely hover around the freezing mark in Chicago and will struggle to reach the 40s elsewhere, but after a brief cooldown the warmer weather will come roaring back by Saturday, with highs climbing back into the 50s and perhaps even approaching 60 degrees in the southern suburbs.
That warm-up, coming to the region courtesy of warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, will come at a price however, as a storm system will roll in Saturday afternoon and into the evening, bringing with it the chance of showers and perhaps even thunderstorms for the remainder of the weekend.
After a Sunday that will see highs once again in the 50s, things will cool off a bit after the system departs the region, with highs back in the 40s for Monday.
