November 2023, historically Chicago fastest cooling month and a month in which days continue to shorten—we’ll see another 59 minutes of daylight disappear by month’s end—OPENED ON A COLD NOTE Wednesday morning.

The low temps of 29 at O’Hare and 28 at Midway were the coldest of the Fall 2023 season and the chilliest morning lows in the more than 7 months since a 27-deg low back on March 30^th last spring.

Final Halloween and Tuesday night snowfall cames to 0.9″ O’Hare, 0.7″ at the NWS Forecast Office in Romeoville and 0.3″ at Midway.  As much as 4.5″ fell near Valparaiso, IN.  The 0.9″ tally at O’Hare marked only the third time measurable snow has fallen on a Halloween in the city and was the 2^nd heaviest Halloween snow in Chicago (the heaviest being the 3.4″ which fell on Halloween 2019—4 years ago.

1-2″ amounts were common across the Chicago metro area outside the city including 2″ at McHenry and 1.9″ at Algonquin and Hoffman Estates in Illinois and 1.9″ at St. John and LaPorte, IN: 1.8″ at Chesterton: 1.7″ at Portage and Porter, IN and 1.5″ totals at Hobart and Wanatah, IN.

We’re in a pattern which should warm temps slowly in coming days. Upper steering winds, which had been blowing out of Canada are shifting westerly which should bath the area in milder Pacific air. 

Despite the warming, which will see temps returning to the 50s Thursday through Sunday—and within striking distance of 60-deg over the coming weekend, this week will finish nearly 15-deg cooler than last week—A BIG CHANGE TO COOLER WEATHER.

South to southwest winds will blow through the coming weekend and become fairly gusty by day Thursday through Sunday. This is to aid in the warming headed this way.

Precip is OUT OF THE PICTURE the remainder of the work week, except for a few possible showers Friday night—and a few more toward or during Saturday night.

Of far greater significance is the threat of rain with two systems next week—the first in the Monday/Tuesday time frame and a potentially more significant rain system in the Wed night to Friday time frame next week.

While temps move to levels modestly ABOVE NORMAL OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, a chill is to settle back over the Chicago area Tuesday and forward next week.  Temps this week are projected to come in 6-deg below normal this week with daytime highs falling from the 50s to near 60s this weekend into Monday next week back into the 40s Tuesday into the following weekend next week.

THIS IS THE WEEKEND WE RETURN TO CENTRAL STANDARD TIME with clocks going back an hour Saturday night. That will have quite an impact on the sunset times with the sun going down at 5:43 pm tonight—but setting at 4:40pm Sunday after the time change.  

November has not only been Chicago’s fastest cooling month historically, it will see another 58 minutes of daylight disappear by months end.  

HERE’S MY LATEST WEDNESDAY CHICAGO METRO FORECAST (11/1/2023):

TONIGHT: Clouds break at times and chilly.  Low 33—but mid 20s coolest inland locations.

THURSDAY: Partly cloudy,  becoming windy and milder. Afternoon gusts approach 30 mph. High 51.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, not quite as cool—but turning cloudy before daybreak Friday.  Low 40.

FRIDAY: Extensive cloudiness, windy—30 mph gusts again by afternoon. Slow warming continues. Chance of a few scattered nighttime showers. High Friday 55.

SATURDAY: Clouds but with spells of mixed sun, breezy and mild. Chance of a few showers—-but at night. High 58.

SUNDAY: Clouding over, mild and breezy. High 59.

MONDAY: Rain likely. Fairly mild for the season. High 58.

TUESDAY: A good deal of cloudiness but with spells of mixed sun. Breezy and cooler. High 49.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy, some showers possible. Cool. High 45.