Chicagoans enjoyed the 2nd warmest weekend of 2023 with a Saturday high of 73 and an 81-degree high Sunday.

Today’s (Monday’s) 84 degrees likely high marks the 9th time this year temps have reached or exceeded 80-deg—and a 9th is likely Tuesday—with Tuesday’s likely to exceed today’s reading by 3-degrees. Lake breezes will continue cooling lakeshore areas.

A jarring change to cooler weather with a 23 degrees 24-hour high temp pullback likely at O’Hare is to hit Wednesday with a backdoor cold front’s passage. The front is to race southward the length of Lake Michigan ushering 25 to 30 mph north/northeasterly wind gusts into the area Wednesday—strong winds likely to build 5 feet or greater waves and to produce rip currents along the shoreline.

The front will pass with only a scattering of clouds but with smoke off Canadian wildfires likely to pick up in coming days. Firefighters in western Canada are hopeful rains in the British Columbia and Alberta will help in the effort to fight the fires there which have charred more than 2-million acres—–2000% the amount of terrain burned in Canada by this time a year ago.

From a July level 87-deg inland high Tuesday, temps Wed are likely to peak no higher than the low to mid 60s—and likely hold to the 50s on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The predicted 64-deg high Wednesday and the 63-deg high expected Thursday equal normal late April level temps.

But jarring as the Wed/Thu temp drop will be, and as cool as morning temps will be Wed, Thu and Fri mornings, a healthy temp rebound is likely to take place going into—and over—the coming Memorial Day weekend with temps predicted to surge back to 81 at O’Hare Saturday; 85 Sunday and 88 Memorial Day. Lake breezes will cool lakeshore areas each of those days but are expected to be fairly light and therefore to reach only a limited distance inland.

It’s very dry and going to stay that way. No rain is predicted in the coming week—and it may be mid next week before any occurs in the Chicago area extending the very dry weather regime which has dominated the past two months. Since April 1st, Chicago has record only a bit more than one-third of its normal rainfall—just 2.44″ versus the normal 6.86″ tally during that period of time. May by itself, now 3 weeks old, has recorded all of 0.42″–just 15% of its typical 3.11″ of rain to date.

HERE’S MY MONDAY CHICAGO METRO FORECAST (5/22/2023):

TONIGHT: Mainly clear and seasonably mild. Low 57.

TUESDAY: Generous sunshine—only some scattered fair weather clouds—AND WARM! A July level 87-deg high inland—but only 70s on area beaches.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, turning windy and cooler toward morning. Low 46 shortly after daybreak Wednesday with a gusty “NNE” wind taking hold.

WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny, smoky skies, gusty NNE winds 25 to 30 mph at times and MUCH COOLER. Temps 20 to 25-deg lower than Tuesday. High 63—50s along Lake Michigan.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny, breezy and cool for the season. High 63—but 50s again on area beaches.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny, less windy and warmer in the afternoon—especially away from the lake. High 73—but low 60s lakeshore.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny and warmer. Lake breezes continue. High 81—but mid to upper 60s lakeshore.

SUNDAY & MEMORIAL DAY: Partly cloudy and warmer. High Sunday 85. Monday’s high 88—but cooler 70s each day along Lake Michigan.