Colder air moves in for a short stay Thursday  night and Friday. By morning, temps will have dropped to 19 in the city and rise only to 27 Friday, 13-degree colder than Thursday’s 40-deg O’Hare high.

The chill won’t last long. Temps will be rebounding over the weekend continuing the milder than normal trend which has dominated February (5.3-deg above normal) and the winter season to date—the two arctic surges we’ve experienced here aside. Nineteen of the past 20 days here in Chicago have come in with temps averaging above normal. 

High temps reach well into the 30s Saturday, the mid 40s Sunday and the 50s Monday.

Our next storm system is set to arrive Monday with another significant rain—early indications point toward another 1 to 1.50″ of rain.

A look into next week and the possible return on snow

Models indicate an active pattern with regular storms; one Monday, the next later in the week and another potentially the week after. Temps settle a little closer to normal if not a bit below normal later next week going into the following week based on our in-house analysis.  If so, this raises the potential the late week or following week system may bring us a wintry mix or snow—or at least have us closer to its rain/snow line—the demarcation in winter storms north of which accumulating snow often occurs. 

We’re way out there in time—so carve nothing in stone at this point. Still, with storms traversing the Midwest, it suggests above normal precip is a good bet.

All indications continue to point to a dry and potentially sun-filled election day here in Chicago next Tuesday.