Enjoy the unseasonable warmth while it lasts, Chicago, because a big change is coming -- and fast.
While temperature readings Friday are expected to stretch into the upper-30s or even the low-40s across the area, potentially hitting the warmest temperatures of the calendar year so far, they won't be high for long.
A more than 30-degree temperature drop is in store in a matter of days.
What will likely start out as rain will transition into a wintry mix and possibly even snow overnight Friday and into Saturday morning as temperatures begin to plummet.
Highs are slated to dip back into the 20s Saturday, but that won't be all.
Temperatures continue their free fall on Sunday, dropping into the low teens and possibly even single digits for some.
Overnight Sunday and into Monday, temperatures could drop to minus-5 degrees, with wind chills dropping 15-to-25 degrees below zero across the area, according to forecast models.
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Those lows could be the lowest the city has seen since Jan. 16, 2024, when the low temperature was minus-7 degrees. If things get any colder, then it’ll be the coldest the city of Chicago has seen since Dec. 23, 2022, when the low temperature was minus-8.
Amtrak has canceled multiple trains either originating or ending in Chicago due to the anticipated cold.
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According to the agency, Monday’s Empire Builder train, scheduled to depart Chicago on a journey across the northern United States to the Pacific Northwest, will not operate due to the expected cold conditions. In addition, the Empire Builder train set to depart Spokane on a trip to Chicago will also not run, according to officials.
Overnight lows Monday and Tuesday are expected to dip below zero, with a forecasted low of minus-7 degrees on Monday night, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Tuesday night will once again see below-zero low temperatures, with highs only in the single digits.
If low temperatures plummet enough, especially Monday and Tuesday, they could mark the coldest temperatures in the city of Chicago since late January 2019, when low temperatures dropped to minus-23 degrees on Jan. 31.
Things will start to regulate slightly on Wednesday as highs return to the 20s for the remainder of the work week.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest weather news and information.