It’s been another mild day—in fact, the first day of the past 7 to produce an ABOVE AVERAGE DAYTIME TEMP in Chicago.

High temps have hit 58-deg at the airports—a reading 3-deg above normal.

The opening three days of November have been quite cool—especially in comparison to last year. When today’s temps are factored in, Nov 1-3, 2023 will have averaged 3.7-deg below normal—a full 15-deg colder than the opening three days of November a year ago—The HIGH TEMP ON NOV 3^rd a year ago was 73-deg—-15 deg warmer than today.

Extensive cloudiness and a broad area of light rain and sprinkles is making its way across northern Illinois ahead of a wind-shifting cold front which will pass the Chicago area later tonight. Winds at that time will shift from the north/northeast by morning—and continue through the first day of the weekend.

This will introduce modestly cooler air with highs Saturday holding to 55 inland and to the low 50s along Lake Michigan.

But the brief period of north/northeast winds won’t last. Winds will shift back to as southerly direction—the wind direction which has dominated the past two days and produced the “warming” we’ve seen.  On Sunday and Monday, temps surge toward 60 Sunday but to a more springlike 66 on Monday.

Overall, the coming weekend is to see temps modestly above normal for the time of year and weekend temps are to average 4-deg above those observed last weekend (52/39 last Sat; 47/39 last Sunday).

Scattered rains this evening will be heaviest and most widespread in the city proper in the 6 to 10 pm time frame—a little sooner to the west of Chicago.  Huge amounts of rain aren’t anticipated—just enough to be a nuisance and slick the roads up a bit. 

Clouds are likely to break in the hours before daybreak allow mixed sunshine as Saturday gets underway—and rain chances should remain nil through daytime Sunday. The next rain to reach the area should come in the form of showers and possible isolated thunder in Monday’s pre-dawn hour into a portion of the day.

New rains with a better developed precip system make their way into the area amid gusty winds Tuesday night into Wednesday. That system draws chillier air into the back half of next week.  Even with that being the case, Our expectation is that while this week will finish, having produced a weekly average temp nearly 5-deg below normal. temps next week, even with the late week chill, should come in more than 3-deg above normal and that surplus grows to 8-deg in the week which follows.

REMINDER:  Clock go back an hour before you head to bed Saturday night. This is the weekend we say good-bye to Daylight Saving Time and head back to Central Standard Time Sunday. The time change means the sun will set at 5:41pm Saturday evening—-but at 4:40pm with the time change Sunday.  Sunrises will move from 7:26am Saturday morning back to 6:27 am Sunday morning.

Sunsets from Sunday forward through January 27^th will occur BEFORE 5PM—and Central Daylight Time doesn’t return until the second Sunday in March.

HERE’S MY LATEST FRIDAY CHICAGO METRO FORECAST (11/3/2023)

TONIGHT: Showery spells wind down later tonight with partial clearing toward morning. Turning a bit cooler late. Low 41—mid 30s cooler locations west of the city.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny and a little cooler—especially along Lake Michigan where north/northeast winds will come in off the water. High 55—but low 50s beaches and lakeshore.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Clouds scatter—but with fog patches possible late.  Cool. Low 39—with low to mid 30s cooler inland locations.

SUNDAY: Sunshine and mixed fair weather clouds, milder. Southerly winds return. High 60.

MONDAY: Clouds and possible morning showers—and a limited chance of isolated thunder. Turning partly sunny, windy and mild in the afternoon with 35 mph gusts. High 66.

TUESDAY: Clouding over, a bit breezy. Spotty afternoon showers build to a period of steadier, more widespread rain at night. High 57—but cooler lakeshore.

WEDNESDAY: Rainy into morning then breezy and cooler. High 55.

THURSDAY: Partly cloudy to cloudy, breezy and cooler. High 52.FRIDAY: A good deal of sunshine but chilly and breezy. High 49.