After what felt like weeks of below-average temperatures and even occasional blasts of wintry precipitation, things are finally going to feel spring-like again in the Chicago area, and extended forecasts are providing a glimpse into how long that could last.
After a day where the mercury will struggle to reach 60 degrees Wednesday, things are going to warm up considerably as the area moves toward the weekend, with highs near 70 on Thursday and then reaching into the low-to-mid 70s across the area through the weekend, with partly-to-mostly sunny conditions expected.
According to the National Weather Service, the average high temperature for the first week of May is just over 66 degrees, so after a long stretch of cooler-than-normal weather, we’re finally heading into slightly warmer conditions for the foreseeable future.
The big question, of course, is just how long the good times will last. According to NWS data, the average high temperature in Chicago crosses the 70-degree threshold on May 15, and by the end of the month, the city’s average high is just below 76 degrees.
The weather pattern will likely stick around that range even into next week, but chances of rain will start to pop up in the forecast late Sunday and into Monday, with afternoon showers and isolated thunderstorms possible at times.
That chance of rain will persist late into the week, though showers and storms will be scattered in nature, according to extended forecast models.
While forecasters won’t typically provide glimpses into the future beyond that 10-day window, we are heading into a time of year where the average high temperatures are speeding toward their yearly highs.
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That will happen in early-to-mid July, when the average temperature in Chicago hovers around 85 degrees for most of the month before beginning an extremely slow cooling process in late July and into early August.
For all of the latest weather information from the NBC 5 Storm Team, be sure to tune into the station’s newscasts, both live on television and in the station’s 24/7 Streaming News Channel. Forecasts are also available on the NBC Chicago app, along with live radar and push alerts in the event of severe weather.
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