Chicago Forecast

Timeline: When a clipper system is set to hit Chicago bringing rain, snow to the area

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Warmer temperatures will arrive later this week in the Chicago area, but before that happens we’ll have to deal with another burst of wintry weather.

That will come in the form of a “clipper” system that will dive across the region late Monday and into Tuesday, bringing with it the chance for rain and snow to the city and suburbs.

After it clears out, we will have another day of seasonable temperatures before a warm-up arrives to end the work week.

Here is a timeline of how things are expected to play out.

Monday Night:

High temperatures are expected to land around 40 degrees in the afternoon hours, with cloudy skies and occasional breezes capping off the day.

The clipper system, which is exiting the Dakotas and heading into Minnesota and Iowa Monday afternoon, will begin to arrive in the late evening hours, bringing rain and snow to the western suburbs before moving towards Chicago.

Tuesday Morning:

The system will fully arrive early Tuesday morning, likely lingering long enough to have an impact on the morning commute across the area.

In areas where snow will fall, light accumulations are expected, with less than one inch of snow expected to fall. Still, slick spots could develop on roadways due to cooler overnight temperatures, with motorists urged to use caution, especially in the western and northern suburbs of Chicago.

Areas to the south of Interstate 80 may not see any snow, but rain is still expected to fall during the morning in those areas.

Tuesday Afternoon:

The clipper system is expected to clear out by the early afternoon, starting off a period of partly-to-mostly cloudy conditions that is expected to last for several days. High temperatures are once again expected to settle around the 40-degree mark.

Wednesday:

Temperatures Wednesday are once again expected to be in the low-40s across the area, with partly-to-mostly cloudy skies. No precipitation is expected, however.

Thursday:

The long-awaited warmup finally arrives on Thursday, with partly-to-mostly sunny skies expected throughout the day, along with highs in the low-to-mid 50s across the area.

The average high in Chicago in early December is right around the 40-degree mark, meaning that we’ll soon be getting a stretch of above-average temperatures.

Friday:

Highs will be even warmer to wrap up the work week, with partly-to-mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid-to-upper 50s across the area.

Saturday:

A chance of rain will re-enter the forecast for Saturday, with high temperatures dropping back into the mid-40s, according to extended forecast models.

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