Chicago weather: Spring-like temps arrive, but how long will they last?

February is ending on a warmer note for Chicago, with a mild stretch of weather hitting the region just one week after dangerously cold wind chills closed schools and made for brutal conditions.

The stretch of warmth will see temperatures rising in the upper 40s and well into the 50s on some days, but how long will these temps last?

On Monday, highs were expected to rise above 50 degrees, possibly even near 60 degrees in some locations.

The warmth also comes with a chance for rain.

Monday will see a chance for showers during the late evening hours while another chance for rain returns Wednesday, with scattered showers in the forecast, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.

The warmth comes amid a particularly unique winter for the region.

According to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes, a warming climate has altered the snow landscape typically seen around Chicago in January and February, likely making this winter the least-snowy in 88 years -- at least in terms of meteorological winter, which ends in February.

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The 2024-25 season is currently tied for the 5th lowest amount of snow, and the lowest since 1948-49, data shows.

The National Weather Service reported its Chicago office is "one of just eight mainland US offices that has yet to issue a Winter Storm Warning so far this winter."

Still, Jeanes notes, the area sees an average of 5.5 inches in March and 1.3 inches in April, so snow may not be over just yet.

The NWS agrees.

"We're not out of the woods yet... Our area typically sees around 6 inches of snow between now and the end of April," the agency wrote on social media.

For now, the warmth looks to stay through at least the end of the week before highs return to the 30s next weekend.