Timeline: Chicago Forecast Calls for Dramatically Warmer Temperatures This Weekend

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The Chicago area has gotten its first real taste of cold weather this season, with highs only reaching into the low-to-mid 40s and overnight lows dropping below freezing.

Those temperatures have also been accompanied by gusty winds, which have not only caused large waves and lakeshore flooding in northwest Indiana, but also frigid wind chills that dropped into the low-20s in some locations.

For those who aren’t quite ready for frigid temperatures and bundling up this season, we have good news, as a dramatic warming trend is on the way.

Here’s how we’re expecting things to unfold in the coming days.

Wednesday Afternoon –

Breezy conditions will continue through at least Wednesday, with some wind gusts exceeding 20 miles per hour. That will cause wind chills to remain lower-than-usual, with highs only reaching into the mid-to-upper 40s.

The big key will come as clouds give way to more sunshine, a trend that will largely continue through the rest of the week and into the weekend.

Thursday Morning –

Chicago-area residents will have to deal with at least a few more nights of chilly temperatures, with lows once again dropping to around the freezing mark through much of the region.

Areas nearer Lake Michigan, including in Chicago, will see slightly warmer readings.

Thursday Afternoon –

The normal high for mid-October in the Chicago area is 61 degrees, and while we won’t quite get there on Thursday afternoon, we’ll be a lot closer, with readings likely settling into the upper-50s with plenty of sunshine.

Friday Morning –

Low temperatures, which throughout the week had been at or below freezing, will be slightly more manageable on Friday morning, falling into the upper-30s and to around 40 degrees closer to the lake.

Friday Afternoon –

This is the time that residents have been waiting for all week. While the forecast is calling for some increasing clouds during the day, highs are going to feel a lot better, rising into the low-70s in most of the area, according to forecast models.

Northwest Indiana may see slightly cooler readings, but temperatures will still be close to 70 degrees, warmer-than-normal for this time of the year.

Saturday Morning –

The temperature swing isn’t expected to be quite so extreme overnight Friday and into Saturday morning, with lows dropping into the low-50s.

Saturday Afternoon –

Things may feel somewhat summerlike, with highs going up into the mid-70s. Some parts of central Illinois, including around Peoria and Springfield, could see highs rise to nearly 80 degrees.

Sunday Morning –

Lows will be even warmer than the previous day, dropping into the mid-to-upper 50s across the area.

Sunday Afternoon –

One more day of pleasant, dry and warm weather is on tap for Sunday, with highs in the mid-70s across the area.

 Monday –

Highs will still likely be in the 70s by Monday, but the chance of rain reenters the forecast, and will stick around for several days. Temperatures during that time will slowly start to fall, with highs expected to drop back into the mid-50s by Wednesday.

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